Synonyms of famine

famine

noun

ˈfa-mən 

as in shortage

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

there's a famine of good general practitioners in many rural areas

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shortage
• lack
• drought
• deficiency
• poverty
• scarcity
• deficit
• insufficiency
• absence
• paucity
• dearth
• inadequacy
• crunch
• undersupply
• failure
• scantiness
• lacuna
• pinch
• scarceness
• inadequateness
• omission
• want
• privation
• necessity
• meagerness
• poorness
• skimpiness
• need

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abundance
• wealth
• sufficiency
• plenty
• amplitude
• opulence
• adequacy
• plenitude
• surplus
• excess
• oversupply
• overabundance
• surfeit
• bountifulness
• copiousness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of famine

Fincher’s awards history with his Netflix films have been feast (Mank) or famine (The Killer). — Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026

Poliński said Zosia would likely have been blamed for misfortunes such as disease and famine that often plagued the region in the 17th century, which people sometimes attributed to supernatural activity by the dead. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

That El Niño is attributed to tens of millions of deaths from global famine. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Floods, fires, famines and societal collapse remain reliable plot devices. — Solitaire Townsend, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026