scarce
/skɛrs/
adverb
- Hardly; barely (used in literary or formal contexts).
- She scarce believed her eyes when she saw the rainbow over the city.
- I scarce had time to finish my breakfast before the bus arrived.
- He scarce spoke a word during the entire meeting.
adjective
- Not enough in quantity; insufficient to meet demand; hard to find.
- Tickets for the concert were scarce, so we bought ours as soon as they went on sale.
- During the drought, fresh vegetables became scarce and prices went up.
- Clean drinking water is scarce in many parts of the world.
- Rare or uncommon.
- Original copies of the book are scarce and can sell for thousands of dollars.
- Honest politicians are scarce these days, according to many voters.
- That type of bird is scarce in this region, so spotting one is a special treat.