scarcity

[ skair-si-tee ]

noun

, plural scar·ci·ties.

1. insufficiency or shortness of supply; dearth.

   Synonyms: paucity, lack, want, shortage

2. rarity; infrequency.

scarcity

/ ˈskɛəsɪtɪ /

noun

1. inadequate supply; dearth; paucity
2. rarity or infrequent occurrence

Other Words From

• non·scarci·ty noun plural nonscarcities

Word History and Origins

Origin of scarcity¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English scarsete(e), from Old North French escarsete; equivalent to scarce + -ity

Example Sentences

Over the past decade, a scarcity of risk capital has meant that funding for new explorations has been low.

From Ozy

However, the assumption that most pervades decision making in our era is scarcity.

From MIT Technology Review

The relative scarcity of lithium also means they’re unlikely to be able to meet all our energy needs.

From Singularity Hub 

Paradoxically, it is the very scarcity of lefties that creates the surplus.

From FiveThirtyEight

Understanding scarcity, urgency, and exclusivity can be one of the best ways to influence your potential customers to make a purchase.

From Search Engine Watch

Perhaps, once in awhile, scarcity will breed rational thinking, too.

From The Daily Beast

That kind of fact-finding—often amid a scarcity of facts—would be for a jury to determine.

From The Daily Beast

One of the most painful and confusing paradoxes of life today concerns our sensation of scarcity amid plenty.

From The Daily Beast

Meerson traces this scarcity of one-man performers back to a culture of collectivism that predates even the Communist revolution.

From The Daily Beast

Inside of prison, even our privileged American prison, scarcity is just as much of an issue as it was in the Gulag.

From The Daily Beast

And he was inclined to believe that it was Grandfather Mole that was to blame for the scarcity of worms in the neighborhood.

From Project Gutenberg

For many years there had been great scarcity in both countries, a natural consequence of predatory warfare.

From Project Gutenberg

This defeat was followed by suffering and privations, from the scarcity of provisions and water.

From Project Gutenberg

Private employers complain of scarcity and the unreliability of the unskilled labourer.

From Project Gutenberg

There was a scarcity of food and clothing for the Confederates; the cold climate was most uncomfortable and demoralizing for them.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dearth
• drought
• famine
• inadequacy
• insufficiency
• lack
• paucity
• shortage