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.

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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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dearths
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dearth

First recorded in 1200–50, dearth is from the Middle English word derthe. See dear ¹, -th ¹

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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

While much has been made about the dearth of millennial homeowners, approximately 55.4 percent of millennials now own their homes, according to Redfin data from 2025.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

Still, concern about the increased dearth of Black artists and Black art is legitimate.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

After the 2008 financial crisis, a dearth of new home construction made affordability a significant challenge for many people trying to break into homeownership.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Although there are many constraints on AI’s growth—a shortage of memory chips, an uncertain return on investment, rising interest rates—the dearth of data centers looks like the more significant and immediate one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

“So who is the challenger?” asks the kid with a dearth of cheekbones.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

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 Charles Darwin

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 Maud C. Cooke

Both countries, accordingly, though subject occasionally to dearths, have been famous for their great fertility.

From An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

There is no vermin in the land like him: he slanders both heaven and earth with pretended dearths when there is no cause of scarcity.

From Character Writings of the 17th Century by Various

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Related Words

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

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