scarce
gb/skˈɛɹs/ us/skˈɛɹs/
B1
Anglais
~ 2800
kevés, szűkös, alig
B1
1
Schéma d’usage :
[something] is scarce
Fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce in some regions.
Egyes régiókban egyre kevesebb az édesvíz.
Good jobs were scarce during the recession.
A recesszió idején kevés volt a jó állás.
Food was scarce after the long drought.
Exemples pédagogiques
Water is scarce in the desert.
A sivatagban kevés a víz.
Good fruit is scarce in winter.
Télen kevés a jó gyümölcs.
Money is scarce for many families.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'scarce' with 'scared' because of similar spelling; they are unrelated in meaning.
Sens
In short supply
Collocations
scarce resources
|scarce water
|scarce food
|make scarce
|increasingly scarce
Synonymes
rare (Implies unusual occurrence, but not always about quantity.)
|
limited (Focuses on the fixed, small amount available.)
Antonymes
plentiful (Emphasizes large availability in contrast to scarcity.)
|
abundant (Stresses more than enough supply.)
Thèmes
economics
|daily life
|environment
|core_vocabulary
Définition
Not enough of something; hard to get.
Not available in sufficient amounts; difficult to find or obtain.
B2
2
alig
A2
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] can scarce [verb]
I could scarce believe my eyes when I saw the view.
Alig hittem a szememnek, amikor megláttam a kilátást.
He could scarce afford the rent on his small salary.
A kis fizetéséből alig tudta kifizetni a lakbért.
She could scarce speak from shock.
Exemples pédagogiques
I can scarce see in the dark.
Alig látok a sötétben.
He could scarce walk after the race.
A verseny után alig tudott járni.
They could scarce hear the music.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may overuse this sense in modern speech; it is somewhat old-fashioned and 'scarcely' is more common today.
Sens
Almost not at all
Synonymes
barely (Emphasizes just enough or very little.)
|
hardly (Means almost not, interchangeable in many contexts.)
Antonymes
easily (Indicates no difficulty, opposite of 'with great difficulty'.)
Thèmes
core_vocabulary
Définition
Almost not; only just.
Hardly; scarcely.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
scarce
API
GB/skˈɛɹs/
US/skˈɛɹs/
Syllabes et accentuation
scarce (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (scarce)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: scarce
- Comparative: scarcer
- Superlative: scarcest
Famille de mots
Expressions
make oneself scarce
1/mˈeɪk wˌʌnsˈɛlf skˈɛɹs/
idiom
informal
Leave quickly to avoid trouble
To go away quickly so people will not see you or so you avoid problems.
Exemples
- I think we should make ourselves scarce before the boss sees us.
- He made himself scarce when the police arrived.