dearth

dearth

noun \ˈdərth\

Definition of DEARTH

1

: scarcity that makes dear; specifically : famine

2

: an inadequate supply : lack <a dearth of evidence>

Examples of DEARTH

1. <there was a dearth of usable firewood at the campsite>
2. <the dearth of salesclerks at the shoe store annoyed us>
3. It may also be a respite for booksellers, who have been grumbling for several years about sluggish sales and a dearth of dependable blockbuster fiction. —Julie Bosman, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2006
4. … Earnhardt has recently hinted that a company-wide dearth of talent is the core reason his Chevy simply isn't as fast in 2005 as it's been in the past. —Lars Anderson, Sports Illustrated, 11 Apr. 2006
5. AirNet, which hauls bank checks and other time-critical freight, used to require that its pilots have at least 1,200 hours of flight experience. Then, faced with a dearth of experienced applicants, it dropped the requirement to 500 hours. Now, it has no minimum. —Scott McCartney, Wall Street Journal, 10 Aug. 2000

Origin of DEARTH

Middle English derthe, from Old English *dierth, from dēore dear

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to DEARTH

Synonyms: crunch, deficiency, deficit, drought (also drouth), failure, famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, lack, lacuna, paucity, pinch, poverty, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want

Antonyms: abundance, adequacy, amplitude, opulence, plenitude, plenty, sufficiency, wealth

Related Words: absence, omission; meagerness, poorness, skimpiness; necessity, need, privation

Near Antonyms: bountifulness, copiousness; excess, overabundance, oversupply, surfeit, surplus

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with DEARTH

berth, birth, earth, firth, girth, mirth, Perth, worth