dearth
Americannoun
-
an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack.
There is a dearth of good engineers.
- Synonyms:
- insufficiency, paucity, want, shortage
- Antonyms:
- surplus, sufficiency, plenty, abundance
-
scarcity and dearness of food; famine.
noun
Usage
What does dearth mean? A dearth of something is a lack or scarcity of it. The word is especially used in serious situations in which there is a shortage of something important. It is usually followed by of and the thing that is lacking, as in a dearth of resources or a dearth of clean water. Much less commonly, dearth is used in a more specific way to refer to a scarcity of food—a famine. Example: The dearth of teachers has resulted in large class sizes.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dearth
First recorded in 1200–50, dearth is from the Middle English word derthe. See dear 1, -th 1
Explanation
If there is a dearth of something, there is not enough of it. A dearth of cupcakes is unfortunate, but a dearth of nutritious food is a serious problem. Dearth is an Old English noun formed from the adjective deore, "precious, costly," and the noun-forming suffix -th. Though the relationship of dearth meaning "lack, insufficient amount" to the adjective dear is not so obvious, it is still easy to imagine that something precious is probably also in short supply. Dearth is used almost exclusively in the phrase "a dearth of."
Vocabulary lists containing dearth
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Zilch, Zip, Nada: Words For Nothing
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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.
Still, the dearth of data in the race makes it hard to test just how close things might be.
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026
The problem is largely caused by a dearth of building in the wake of the 2008-09 financial crisis.
From Barron's • May 31, 2026
The argument against his inclusion would ask why England need another forward aside from Kane and Watkins, given modern-day formational switches and a dearth of top-quality options for that position?
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Although they acknowledge the global economy is facing a historic dearth of crude, they are happy to use their cash to beef up their balance sheets and wait to see where markets land.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
“So who is the challenger?” asks the kid with a dearth of cheekbones.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
