dearth

American  

[durth] / dɜrθ /

noun

dearths plural

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.

---

dearth British  

/ dɜːθ /

noun

1. an inadequate amount, esp of food; scarcity

---

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

• dearths
  plural

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

See Examples For:

dearth dearths

In a district with the highest poverty rate in the city, residents are concerned about issues including illegal dumping, public safety, a dearth of grocery stores and a sense of being neglected by City Hall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

"They are a sign of a healthy city. If you see a dearth of children, that rings alarm bells that a city is not functioning as it should," she added.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Among survivors, I encountered palpable frustration at the lack of resolution, dearth of attention from law enforcement, and the ease with which the bloodshed left the headlines.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

What’s more, a dearth of available jobs has made people more willing to take jobs they would have turned down in the past.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

Maybe not a miraculous, but certainly a rather curious, story lay behind Onofre’s dearth of an appendage.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Old timber towns with shuttered mills, flood-soaked cities and rural areas left off high-speed broadband networks suffered dearths of economic opportunity, even as Puget Sound’s largest cities flourished with explosive tech growth.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2021

No doubt in this case and in all others, many checks concur, and different checks under different circumstances; periodical dearths, depending on unfavourable seasons, being probably the most important of all.

From The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. I by Darwin, Charles

There appeared one of those dearths not unusual in Hindostan; the population of the famished province cried out for rice; the stores of which, diminished by nature, had for months mysteriously disappeared.

From Sybil, or the Two Nations by Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield

But behold, he stands at the door & knocks, by treasons, by plagues, by the hammer of dearths, discontents, fires, inundations, especially by the word; his locks are wet with waiting.

From A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale In a Sermon Preached at a Generall Visitation at Ipswich by Ward, Samuel

In attempting his salvation, by proffering advice to the "broken-hearted," he respectfully but firmly-131- declined; deliberately preferring old-bachelorship, with all its dearths, of which he seemed fully conscious.

From Social Life or, The Manners and Customs of Polite Society by Cooke, Maud C.

Related Words

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