dearth

American  

[durth] / dɜrθ /

noun

1. an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack.

   There is a dearth of good engineers.

   Synonyms:

   insufficiency, paucity, want, shortage

   Antonyms:

   surplus, sufficiency, plenty, abundance

2. scarcity and dearness of food; famine.

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dearth British  

/ dɜːθ /

noun

1. an inadequate amount, esp of food; scarcity

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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.

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."

Example Sentences

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

During a trip to New York in early March to serve on an award jury, I was frustrated by the dearth of new Broadway productions.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

The intensity of the rally comes amid a dearth of investors making bets on markets going higher, also known as “owning the right tail,” said McElligott, who has been warning of that setup for weeks.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

She now leads the endometriosis service for the Northern Care Alliance and said there was a "dearth of training" and therefore problem "identifying and diagnosing" the disease.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

There was a dearth of pens that day in class.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• absence
• deficiency
• inadequacy
• lack
• paucity
• shortage