noun
-
inadequate supply; dearth; paucity
-
rarity or infrequent occurrence
Other Word Forms
- nonscarcity noun
Etymology
Origin of scarcity
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English scarsete(e), from Old North French escarsete; equivalent to scarce + -ity
Compare meaning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The power outages that stretched into Tuesday followed a weekend of civil unrest provoked by the scarcity of food, water and other basic necessities.
The sudden scarcity of supply, plus uncertainty about how long the current crisis will last, saw oil prices spike about 8% percent and the European gas price about 20% on the morning of 2 March.
From BBC
India's youth story is a study in contradictions - of abundance and scarcity, promise and drift.
From BBC
We are transitioning from strictly a debasement inflationary environment to one that is more balanced between scarcity and debasement.
From MarketWatch
The scarcity of naphtha -- a liquid distilled from petroleum that is essential for making ethylene, a key ingredient in everything from plastic grocery bags to food packaging -- risks a knock-on effect across many industries.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
