All 3 Uses
scarcity
in
On the Beach
(Auto-generated)
- He did not wantone; they were scarce and delicate creatures that changed hands for a thousand pounds or more, but he had sometimes thought about a bullock for Mary.†
Chpt 1scarce = in short supply OR barely or hardly (by a small margin)
- They may be a bit scarce now.†
Chpt 1 *
- Seems they're kind of scarce around here just at present.†
Chpt 5
Definitions:
-
(1)
(scarcity) shortage (having an amount that is less than desired)
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) More rarely (and typically in classic literature), scarce can be short for scarcely or hardly or barely or by a small margin -- such as in "She was scarce ten years old," or "I scarce know why."