dearth

American  

[durth] / dɜrθ /

noun

• dearths
  plural

1. an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack.

   There is a dearth of good engineers.

   Synonyms:

   insufficiency, paucity, want, shortage

   Antonyms:

   surplus, sufficiency, plenty, abundance

2. scarcity and dearness of food; famine.

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dearth British  

/ dɜːθ /

noun

1. an inadequate amount, esp of food; scarcity

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Usage

What does dearth mean? A dearth of something is a lack or scarcity of it. The word is especially used in serious situations in which there is a shortage of something important. It is usually followed by of and the thing that is lacking, as in a dearth of resources or a dearth of clean water. Much less commonly, dearth is used in a more specific way to refer to a scarcity of food—a famine. Example: The dearth of teachers has resulted in large class sizes.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dearths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dearth

First recorded in 1200–50, dearth is from the Middle English word derthe. See dear ¹, -th ¹

Explanation

If there is a dearth of something, there is not enough of it. A dearth of cupcakes is unfortunate, but a dearth of nutritious food is a serious problem. Dearth is an Old English noun formed from the adjective deore, "precious, costly," and the noun-forming suffix -th. Though the relationship of dearth meaning "lack, insufficient amount" to the adjective dear is not so obvious, it is still easy to imagine that something precious is probably also in short supply. Dearth is used almost exclusively in the phrase "a dearth of."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dearth dearths

Barrera posted a story that read, “Rest in peace sweet Hayden,” and Arquette expressed his love in the comments section of Variety’s post announcing Panettiere’s dearth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

“There’s a dearth of umpires in general. And it would be terrible if a team wasn’t able to play because there weren’t enough umpires.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Among survivors, I encountered palpable frustration at the lack of resolution, dearth of attention from law enforcement, and the ease with which the bloodshed left the headlines.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

What’s more, a dearth of available jobs has made people more willing to take jobs they would have turned down in the past.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

The rock, exhibiting a dearth of holds and coated with six inches of crumbly rime, did not look promising, but just left of the main prow was a shallow comer glazed with frozen meltwater.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Old timber towns with shuttered mills, flood-soaked cities and rural areas left off high-speed broadband networks suffered dearths of economic opportunity, even as Puget Sound’s largest cities flourished with explosive tech growth.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2021

Both countries accordingly, though subject occasionally to dearths, have been famous for their great fertility.

From An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Germain Garnier

There is no vermin in the land like him: he slanders both heaven and earth with pretended dearths when there is no cause of scarcity.

From Character Writings of the 17th Century by Various

Both countries, accordingly, though subject occasionally to dearths, have been famous for their great fertility.

From An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

But behold, he stands at the door & knocks, by treasons, by plagues, by the hammer of dearths, discontents, fires, inundations, especially by the word; his locks are wet with waiting.

From A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale In a Sermon Preached at a Generall Visitation at Ipswich by Samuel Ward

Related Words

• absence
• deficiency
• inadequacy
• lack
• paucity
• shortage