Synonyms for scarce
skɛərsscarce

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.5 / 4 votes

1. scarce

   Unique is alone of its kind; rare is infrequent of its kind; great poems are rare; "Paradise Lost" is unique. To say of a thing that it is rare is simply to affirm that it is now seldom found, whether previously common or not; as, a rare old book; a rare word; to call a thing scarce implies that it was at some time more plenty, as when we say food or money is scarce. A particular fruit or coin may be rare; scarce applies to demand and use, and almost always to concrete things; to speak of virtue, genius, or heroism as scarce would be somewhat ludicrous. Rare has the added sense of precious, which is sometimes, but not necessarily, blended with that above given; as, a rare gem. Extraordinary, signifying greatly beyond the ordinary, is a neutral word, capable of a high and good sense or of an invidious, opprobrious, or contemptuous signification; as, extraordinary genius; extraordinary wickedness; an extraordinary assumption of power; extraordinary antics; an extraordinary statement is incredible without overwhelming proof.

   See synonyms for GENERAL; NORMAL; USUAL.

   Synonyms:
   curious, extraordinary, incomparable, infrequent, odd, peculiar, precious, rare, remarkable, singular, strange, uncommon, unique, unparalleled, unprecedented, unusual

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 1 vote

1. scarce

   Synonyms:
   rare, infrequent, unabundant, unique, uncommon, unusual, singular, precious, choice, few, wanting, sparse

   Antonyms:
   common, frequent, abundant, valueless, thick, plentiful

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.2 / 10 votes

1. scarceadverb

   deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand

   "fresh vegetables were scarce during the drought"

   Antonyms:
   rank, overabundant, rich, long, lush, plentiful, teeming, rampant, ample, plethoric, verdant, abounding, torrential, plenteous, thick, riotous, abundant, copious, galore(ip), superabundant, profuse, luxuriant, easy, exuberant, rife, voluminous

2. barely, hardly, just, scarcely, scarceadverb

   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

   Synonyms:
   just, barely, hardly, scarcely, merely, scantily, exactly, simply, but, precisely, only, just now

   Antonyms:
   luxuriant, superabundant, abundant, plenteous, torrential, plethoric, overabundant, abounding, copious, galore(ip), long, rife, profuse, thick, teeming, riotous, voluminous, ample, rank, rich, plentiful, exuberant, easy, rampant, lush, verdant

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. scarceadjective

   Synonyms:
   deficient, wanting, not plentiful, not abundant

2. scarceadjective

   Synonyms:
   rare, uncommon, infrequent

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. scarceadjective

   Synonyms:
   rare, unplentiful, deficient

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:4.5 / 2 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "scarce":

   rare, meagre, limited, scant, few, uncommon, sparse, little, lean, infrequent, meager, low

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How to use scarce in a sentence?

1. Wedbush Securities:

   The idea that they can charge 15 or 20 bucks for something that other games charge a dollar by making it scarce is brilliant.

2. Bernard Mandeville:

   The multitude will hardly believe the excessive force of education, and in the difference of modesty between men and women, ascribe that to nature, which is altogether owing to early instruction: Miss is scarce three years old, but she's spoke to every day to hide her leg, and rebuked in good earnest if she shows it; whilst little Master at the same age is bid to take up his coats, and piss like a man.

3. Tetsuya Fukuda:

   The biggest reason for participating in the Moatize project is to retain excellent quality metallurgical coal that is scarce globally, with the resource supercycle, we had been not able to buy any assets.

4. John Donne:

   Affliction is a treasure, and scarce any man hath enough of it.

5. Fabrice:

   Water may become increasingly scarce and precious...; that's why I drink beer!