FAMINE Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

famine

noun

ˈfa-mən

Definition of famine

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

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of famine The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million and pushed many parts of Sudan into famine. — Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 When the world experienced what was likely one of the strongest El Niño events in the historical record in the late 1870s, the climate pattern coincided with widespread drought, crop failures and a global famine that killed millions. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 7 July 2026 Jackson Merrill continued a season of feast or famine by going 2-for-4 last night. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026 It is not meant to recall Stalin’s seizure of farms, which resulted in mass famine, or Mao’s Great Leap Forward, which also resulted in mass famine. — Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for famine

Recent Examples of Synonyms for famine

Noun

The divergence is over whether the worker shortage is improving slowly or still getting worse, and what the Supreme Court should do about it.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Lights had been switched off to conserve electricity amid fuel shortages that have gripped Cuba since the beginning of the year.

— Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026

Definition of shortage

Noun

The report included the lack of antimissile capabilities in the new aircraft, a Boeing 747-8 that was donated by the government of Qatar and later retrofitted.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 July 2026
Despite its lack of cutting-edge lithography machines, the incredible imbalance between supply and demand was enough to prompt it to enter the space.

— Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 16 July 2026

Definition of lack

Noun

Americans across the nation are being asked (or ordered) to conserve water, thanks to widespread drought made even worse by a punishing heat wave.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Efraín Juárez, then the coach of Pumas, was asked about the possibility of his team ending a long title drought.

— Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of drought

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family way

famine

famines

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“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famine. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of famine

noun

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