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."
If you had one of those Yugoslav names with a paucity of vowels, you might sprinkle in a few …—Calvin Trillin, Time, 22 May 2000For 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, 1999This 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
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The decision isn’t likely to be an easy one, given the paucity of the data.—Helen Branswell, STAT, 18 May 2026 At a Cannes where some have grumbled about a paucity of studio movies (and thus stars), the absence of Scarlett Johansson at last night’s premiere of Paper Tiger was notable.—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 17 May 2026 Given the paucity of sincere musicals this season, this offers one of the few chances for a good blubber.—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026 Experts have warned that this paucity of water, already a significant problem in Iran’s typically arid environment, will be exacerbated by climate change.—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for paucity
Word History
Etymology
Middle English paucite, from Latin paucitat-, paucitas, from paucus little — more at few