scarce

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scarce / ske(ə)rs/ • adj. (esp. of food, money, or some other resource) insufficient for the demand: as raw materials became scarce, synthetics were developed. ∎  occurring in small numbers or quantities; rare: the freshwater shrimp becomes scarce in soft water.PHRASES: make oneself scarce inf. leave a place, esp. so as to avoid a difficult situation.DERIVATIVES: scarce·ness n.scar·ci·ty / ˈskersitē/ n.