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View synonyms for scarcity

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Other Words From

  • non·scarci·ty noun plural nonscarcities
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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
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Compare Meanings

How does scarcity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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