Find the word definition

Crossword clues for scarcer

The Collaborative International Dictionary
Scarcer

Scarce \Scarce\ (sk[^a]rs), a. [Compar. Scarcer (sk[^a]r"s[~e]r); superl. Scarcest.] [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, excarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See Carpet, and cf. Excerp.]

  1. Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon.

    You tell him silver is scarcer now in England, and therefore risen one fifth in value.
    --Locke.

    The scarcest of all is a Pescennius Niger on a medallion well preserved.
    --Addison.

  2. Scantily supplied (with); deficient (in); -- with of. [Obs.] ``A region scarce of prey.''
    --Milton.

  3. Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; stingy. [Obs.] ``Too scarce ne too sparing.''
    --Chaucer.

    To make one's self scarce, to decamp; to depart. [Slang]

    Syn: Rare; infrequent; deficient. See Rare.

Wiktionary
scarcer

a. (en-comparative of: scarce)

Usage examples of "scarcer".

But, it being summer, mature men were scarcer than albinos at high noon, and twice as conspicuous.

So, he'd proceed to assemble the ingredients, which was not quite as easy as making cherry pie, since citron was scarce, quality jasmine oil scarcer, and beet pollen scarcer yet (it was available only a few weeks out of the year, and then in widely scattered locations).

Buffalo had become scarcer with each year in the areas east of the mountains.

Water was growing scarcer, there were fewer trees except along the river bottoms, and there was more cactus.

As food and clothing grew scarcer and prices rose higher and higher, the public outcry against the specula­tors grew louder and more venomous.

Yet the food they searched and hunted for was growing scarcer and scarcer.