scarcity
noun
scar·ci·ty
ˈsker-sə-tē 
-stē
plural scarcities
: the quality or state of being scarce
especially
: want of provisions for the support of life
Examples of scarcity in a Sentence
Scarcity of food forced the herds to move.
the scarcity of good restaurants around here is surprising
Recent Examples on the Web
It was always wrapped around scarcity—access to high-quality data, advanced analytics and real-time decision-making wasn’t always available.
—
Ivan Guzenko, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
But lower-profile group-stage matches in large NFL stadiums have been harder to fill, especially with ticket prices remaining high, on par with Super Bowl-level scarcity.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 10 June 2026
The scarcity of remaining tickets for those matches indicates that Kansas City should expect strong attendance throughout the World Cup, even if some matches fall a tiny bit short of a sellout.
—Kellis Robinett, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2026
For Gleeson, South Africa missed a major opportunity to strengthen its league by failing to retain investors and wealthy clients after the 2010 World Cup and continued to operate in the same way — a trend reflected in the league’s stagnation and the scarcity of talent playing abroad.
—Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for scarcity
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Ivan Guzenko, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
But lower-profile group-stage matches in large NFL stadiums have been harder to fill, especially with ticket prices remaining high, on par with Super Bowl-level scarcity.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 10 June 2026
The scarcity of remaining tickets for those matches indicates that Kansas City should expect strong attendance throughout the World Cup, even if some matches fall a tiny bit short of a sellout.
—Kellis Robinett, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2026
For Gleeson, South Africa missed a major opportunity to strengthen its league by failing to retain investors and wealthy clients after the 2010 World Cup and continued to operate in the same way — a trend reflected in the league’s stagnation and the scarcity of talent playing abroad.
—Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for scarcity
Cite this Entry
“Scarcity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scarcity. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scarcity
noun
scar·ci·ty
ˈsker-sət-ē
ˈskar-
plural scarcities
: the quality or state of being scarce : a very small supply
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