Did you know?
Where does the word dearth come from?
Dearth has, in one form or another, been used to refer to scarcity since at least the 13th century, when it often referred specifically to the plague of famine (as in “a time of dearth”), whether brought on by an insidious crop disease or by invaders. The word traces back to the Old English adjective dēore, meaning “dear” (dēore is also the ancestor of dear, which also once meant “scarce,” though that sense is now obsolete). That notion of dearness or importance endures in dearth, which implies the absence or scarcity of not just any old thing, but of something one wants or needs. A dearth of mauls, for example, would be the bane of a woodcutter’s existence.
Examples of dearth in a Sentence
Julie Bosman, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2006
… 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
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
there was a dearth of usable firewood at the campsite
the dearth of salesclerks at the shoe store annoyed us
Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Day-zero droughts arise from the confluence of various factors, including a prolonged dearth of rain, low river levels and shrunken reservoirs, as well as rocketing water demand to supply people, farms and industries.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
As patchy as the ultraluxury market has been these last few years (between high interest rates, global unrest, and wild stock-market fluctuations set off by tariffs), there hasn’t been a dearth of buyers so much as a dearth of buyers for particular properties and locations.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
Tougher standards The dearth of Detroit Three vehicles winning top ratings is a chronic concern in the IIHS top safety study, which the institute has conducted since 1995.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dearth
Cite this Entry
“Dearth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dearth. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share