1
be scarce
scarce常作表语，表示‘缺乏、不足’。
Food is scarce in the region.
该地区食物短缺。
稀少的；不足的；供不应求的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
稀少的；不足的；供不应求的
rare; not enough to meet demand
Food is scarce in the region.
该地区食物短缺。
稀有的,罕见的,不足的
Uncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand.
数量或数目不足以满足需求
deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand
供应不足的；缺乏的(与 of 连用)
Scantily supplied (with); deficient (in); used with of.
During the drought, water became scarce.
干旱期间，水变得稀缺。
AI contextual example
Tickets for the concert are scarce, so we should buy them soon.
演唱会门票很难得，我们应该尽快购买。
AI contextual example
As the winter approached, fresh vegetables grew scarcer.
随着冬天临近，新鲜蔬菜变得更稀少了。
AI contextual example
fresh vegetables were scarce during the drought
干旱期间新鲜蔬菜稀缺。
WordNet
scarce常作表语，表示‘缺乏、不足’。
Food is scarce in the region.
该地区食物短缺。
作定语时，通常修饰抽象或具体名词。
Scarce resources must be used wisely.
稀缺资源必须明智使用。
非正式短语，意为‘溜走、躲开’。
When the boss arrived, he made himself scarce.
当老板来时，他躲开了。
Not this
I scarce know him.
Use this
I scarcely know him.
“scarce”是形容词，不能用作副词。表示“几乎不”应使用副词“scarcely”。
Not this
I scarce money for the trip.
Use this
Money is scarce for the trip.
“scarce”是形容词，不能直接带宾语。表示“缺乏某物”应说“某物 + is scarce”，而非“主语 + scarce + 宾语”。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
稀缺资源
The government must allocate scarce resources efficiently.
政府必须高效分配稀缺资源。
稀缺商品
Clean water is a scarce commodity in many regions.
清洁水在许多地区是一种稀缺商品。
供应短缺
During the drought, the supply of food became scarce.
干旱期间，食物供应变得短缺。
食物匮乏
The refugees survived on scarce food rations.
难民靠匮乏的食物配给生存。
水资源稀缺
In arid climates, water is often scarce.
在干旱气候中，水常常是稀缺的。
变得稀少
As the population grew, natural resources became scarce.
随着人口增长，自然资源变得稀少。
躲开，溜走
When the boss arrived, the interns made themselves scarce.
老板来了，实习生们赶紧躲开了。
极其罕见
Honest politicians are as scarce as hen's teeth.
诚实的政治家如同鸡的牙齿一样罕见。
极为稀有
Original copies of that book are as scarce as rocking horse manure.
那本书的原版极为稀有。
Use scarce naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
scarce 谐音 '死磕死'，资源稀缺让人不得不死磕。
日常和正式语境均适用，表示资源或物品供不应求。
No perfect rhymes found. The listed words share the -arce spelling pattern (farce) or similar endings (-erce, -ierce, -orce, -arse) but differ in vowel sound: /ɛ/ in scarce vs /ɑ/ in farce, /ɜ/ in coerce, /ɪ/ in pierce, /ɔ/ in force, /ɑ/ in sparse.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.