scarcity

[ skair-si-tee ]
See synonyms for scarcity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural scar·ci·ties.
  1. insufficiency or shortness of supply; dearth.

  2. rarity; infrequency.

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Origin of scarcity

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English scarsete(e), from Old North French escarsete; equivalent to scarce + -ity

Other words for scarcity

Other words from scarcity

  • non·scar·ci·ty, noun, plural non·scar·ci·ties.

Words Nearby scarcity

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How to use scarcity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scarcity

scarcity

/ (ˈskɛəsɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  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

Cultural definitions for scarcity

scarcity

The basic problem on which classical economic theory is built: simply, that human wants will always exceed the resources available to fulfill those wants. This tenet was challenged by the rise of what John Kenneth Galbraith described as the affluent society.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.