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
How does scarcity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Yet it won’t fix the scarcity of homes built over at least a decade, which has helped fueled the U.S. housing-affordability crisis.
From MarketWatch
The country’s real estate remains defensive amid a moderating global economy, boosted by landlord-friendly fundamentals and supply scarcity, the analysts note.
They only need the belief that scarcity is fading.
From Barron's
“That already imparts a scarcity that, in a world of easy, accessible overconsumption, can be used in service of status.”
In a master plan released over summer, the company laid out a vision in which artificial intelligence, robotics and energy storage systems eliminate scarcity.
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.
