scarce
adjective
\
Definition of scarce
(Entry 1 of 2)
scarce
adverbDefinition of scarce (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for scarce
Synonyms: Adjective
exiguous, hand-to-mouth, light, meager (or meagre), niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparing, sparse, stingy
Antonyms: Adjective
abundant, ample, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful
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Examples of scarce in a Sentence
Adjective
Food was getting scarce during the drought. food was a bit scarce last winterAdverb
I could scarce believe what I was hearing.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
This win was undoubtedly ugly, with yards hard to come by and points even more scarce. — Seattle Times Sports Staff, The Seattle Times, "What the national media are saying about the Seahawks’ win over the Vikings on #MNF," 11 Dec. 2018 When electricity becomes more scarce and expensive, the cranes will release each brick and harvest the energy from their fall. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Battery idea: Hydroelectric pumped storage, but with bricks," 18 Nov. 2018 This lasted into the 90s, but the well eventually dried up as scientific research funding became more and more scarce. — Scott Yorko, Popular Mechanics, "Back to Alaska: How a Legendary Glacier Adventure Almost Died When the World Needed It Most," 12 Sep. 2018 Prices have gone up as real dollars have become even more scarce. — The Economist, "Zimbabwe’s new president may not be able to fix the economy," 19 May 2018 Federal funding is getting more scarce, and the city should look for more local money. — Katherine Sayre, NOLA.com, "Cantrell should increase short-term rental tax, focus on affordable housing, committee says," 4 May 2018 But professional nutrition guidance on how to fast for Ramadan is still far too scarce. — Nazima Qureshi, SELF, "3 Ways I Make Nutrition Advice More Culturally Relevant to Muslim Women Like Myself," 3 Apr. 2019 Bills of the near-worthless local currency, the bolívar, are incredibly scarce — with the government having a hard time even paying for the paper needed to print them. — Anthony Faiola, The Seattle Times, "Venezuela’s inflation rate may hit 1,000,000 percent," 24 July 2018 Workplace student loan benefits are still scarce, Mr. Kalscheur said, but many employers do offer some sort of match for retirement contributions. — Ann Carrns, New York Times, "To Draw Workers, Employers Offer to Help With Student Loans," 26 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scarce.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for scarce
scarce
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of scarce
(Entry 1 of 2)
scarce
adverbEnglish Language Learners Definition of scarce (Entry 2 of 2)
See the full definition for scarce in the English Language Learners Dictionary
scarce
adjective
\
Kids Definition of scarce
(Entry 1 of 2)
scarce
adverbKeep scrolling for more
Comments on scarce
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