noun
-
inadequate supply; dearth; paucity
-
rarity or infrequent occurrence
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of scarcity
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English scarsete(e), from Old North French escarsete; equivalent to scarce + -ity
Compare meaning
How does scarcity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If there is a cupcake scarcity in your kitchen, there are hardly any cupcakes around, and you're not sure that any will be appearing any time soon. The noun scarcity comes from the adjective scarce, which means "restricted in quantity or availability." So scarcity is the state of there being very little of something. During a war when shipping gets interrupted, there might be a fuel scarcity, pushing people to carpool or ride bikes instead of driving. If you're in a room full of super boring people, you might say there's a scarcity of good conversation.
Vocabulary lists containing scarcity
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Holes
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Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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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.
The possibility of scarcity for specific aerospace parts led many to draw parallels between the Garden Grove incident and a 2025 fire at an important parts supplier in Pennsylvania.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
"Whenever there is scarcity, as humans, we find solutions," she said.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
The AI trade’s strongest fundamental argument — genuine scarcity — undermines the financial conditions required to sustain the trade’s current valuation.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
Humans evolved to survive periods of food scarcity.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
There was a scarcity of social invitations and phone calls, as my parents’ friends grew afraid to call a house that existed in a limbo between exhilaration and grief.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
