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1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)
scarce
    adv 1: only a very short time before; "they could barely hear
           the speaker"; "we hardly knew them"; "just missed being
           hit"; "had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew
           open"; "would have scarce arrived before she would have
           found some excuse to leave"- W.B.Yeats [syn: barely,
           hardly, just, scarcely, scarce]
    adj 1: deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand;
           "fresh vegetables were scarce during the drought" [ant:
           abundant]

2. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Scarce \Scarce\ (sk[^a]rs), a. [Compar. Scarcer
   (sk[^a]r"s[~e]r); superl. Scarcest.] [OE. scars, OF.
   escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, excarpsus, for L. excerptus,
   p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to
   shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See Carpet, and cf.
   Excerp.]
   1. Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion
      to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon.
      [1913 Webster]

            You tell him silver is scarcer now in England, and
            therefore risen one fifth in value.   --Locke.
      [1913 Webster]

            The scarcest of all is a Pescennius Niger on a
            medallion well preserved.             --Addison.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Scantily supplied (with); deficient (in); -- with of.
      [Obs.] "A region scarce of prey." --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; stingy. [Obs.] "Too scarce
      ne too sparing." --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

   To make one's self scarce, to decamp; to depart. [Slang]
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: Rare; infrequent; deficient. See Rare.
        [1913 Webster] Scarce

3. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Scarce \Scarce\, Scarcely \Scarce"ly\, adv.
   1. With difficulty; hardly; scantly; barely; but just.
      [1913 Webster]

            With a scarce well-lighted flame.     --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

            The eldest scarcely five year was of age. --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

            Slowly she sails, and scarcely stems the tides.
                                                  --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

            He had scarcely finished, when the laborer arrived
            who had been sent for my ransom.      --W. Irving.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Frugally; penuriously. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

Thesaurus Results for Scarce:

1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
almost unheard-of, at a premium, barely, cheeseparing, chinchy, chintzy, curtailed, deficient, exiguous, failing, few, hardly, in short supply, inadequate, infrequent, insufficient, lacking, meager, miserly, niggardly, occasional, out of print, out of season, out of stock, piddling, poor, rare, scant, scanty, scarcely, scattered, scrimping, scrimpy, seldom, seldom met with, seldom seen, shortened, shy, skimping, skimpy, slim, slow, sparse, sporadic, spotty, sprinkled, stingy, thin, tight, truncated, uncommon, unfrequent, unique, unusual, wanting
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