Words / C1

SKAIRS/skeəs/

Scarce means not enough, hard to find: scarce resources, jobs were scarce. Rare is uncommon even when not needed; scarce is about shortage relative to demand. Scarcity is the noun. Barely and scarcely are adverbs (“scarcely had we sat”). Do not call a unique painting scarce when you mean rare.

Meaning

Not enough of it; hard to find.

Examples

• “Quiet rooms are scarce in exam week.”
• “Quiet rooms are scarce in week 12; they are not rare like a comet.”
• “A scarce skill still has a market; a rare stamp may have no classroom use.”

Good to know

In short supply (need vs stock). Noun: scarcity. Contrast: rare (uncommon). Adverb cousin: scarcely (hardly).

Near in meaning

short

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