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

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Etymology

Origin of dearth

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

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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

Still, CoreWeave’s future does look dimmer if prevailing interest rates keep going up, if appetite for AI-related debt keeps weakening and concerns about the AI boom’s sustainability turn into a dearth of funding options.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Still, concern about the increased dearth of Black artists and Black art is legitimate.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

Brazil’s index is dominated by commodity plays and major banks with a relative dearth of technology exposure.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

The head of this year's jury, American actor-director Maggie Gyllenhaal, had questioned the dearth of women-directed films on the opening day, but she declined to discuss the issue further at a final press conference.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

The dearth of boughs and pine needles made it light and easy to carry.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

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

The frequency of local dearths, and the diversity and fluctuation of prices, were thus extreme.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 4 "Coquelin" to "Costume" by Various

It can thus obtain food beyond the reach of the other Ungulata or hoofed animals inhabiting the same country; and this must be a great advantage to it during dearths.

From The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, 6th Edition by Charles Darwin

No doubt in this case and in all others, many checks concur, and different checks under different circumstances; periodical dearths, depending on unfavourable seasons, being probably the most important of all.

From The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. I by Charles Darwin

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

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Related Words

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

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