paucity

noun

pau·​ci·​ty ˈpȯ-sə-tē 

1

: smallness of number : fewness

2

: smallness of quantity : dearth

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Learn a Little About Paucity

Paucity refers to "littleness" in numbers (as in "a paucity of facts") or quantity ("a paucity of common sense"). The word comes from paucus, Latin for "little."

Synonyms

• crunch
• dearth
• deficiency
• deficit
• drought
• drouth
• failure
• famine
• inadequacy
• inadequateness
• insufficiency
• lack
• lacuna
• pinch
• poverty
• scantiness
• scarceness
• scarcity
• shortage
• undersupply
• want

Examples of paucity in a Sentence

If you had one of those Yugoslav names with a paucity of vowels, you might sprinkle in a few … —Calvin Trillin, Time, 22 May 2000

For my part, I find increasingly that I miss the simplicity, the almost willful paucity, of the English way of doing things. —Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999

This relative paucity of freeloaders and deadbeats means that rookie Americans, as a group, more than pay their way. —Jaclyn Fierman, Fortune, 9 Aug. 1993

a paucity of useful answers to the problem of traffic congestion at rush hour

Recent Examples on the Web

Growing up in Lincoln Heights and neighboring El Sereno, where his family settled after immigrating from Mexico in 1969, Marez experienced this paucity firsthand. —Claire O’Callahan, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024

This is probably due in part to the paucity of charging stations in Maryland, the lengthy charging time per vehicle and the demonstrated low range of electric vehicles in cold weather months. —Chris West, Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English paucite, from Latin paucitat-, paucitas, from paucus little — more at few

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

paucity

noun

pau·​ci·​ty ˈpȯ-sət-ē 

: smallness of number or quantity : scarcity

a paucity of experience