Definition of dearth
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Examples of dearth in a Sentence
It may also be a respite for booksellers, who have been grumbling for several years about sluggish sales and a dearth of dependable blockbuster fiction. —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
Recent Examples of dearth from the Web
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In a strange twist, there’s no dearth of jobs in Allegany.
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It’s also possible SIR-Spheres may help patients with a form of cancer that starts in the bile duct, for whom there is a dearth of effective treatments, said UBS’s Goodsall, who rates Sirtex a buy.
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Because of the Cubs' dearth of runs, Arrieta had to be pulled for pinch-hitter Addison Russell after only 84 pitches in six innings.
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Several high-profile stabbings over the past decade have been blamed on perpetrators who were reportedly mentally ill, calling attention to the dearth of mental health services in China, particularly in rural areas.
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Even now, during a period of instability, Fox News finds itself with a surprising dearth of competitors.
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Though Snap’s IPO has generated great interest after a dearth of new listings last year, the company is playing it conservatively.
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Another possibility is that the recession and slow recovery have created a self-reinforcing dearth of investment, and that government policy to increase overall demand in the economy could also trigger more productivity-enhancing investments.
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The crew, talent and others got to Atlanta just as our 40-plus day dearth of rain was ending and menacing storms came pounding through town.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dearth'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Where Does the Word Dearth Come From?
The facts about the history of the word dearth are quite simple: the word derives from the Middle English form "derthe," which has the same meaning as our modern term. That Middle English form is assumed to have developed from an Old English form that was probably spelled "dierth" and was related to "dēore," the Old English form that gave us the word dear. ("Dear" also once meant "scarce," but that sense of the word is now obsolete.) Some form of "dearth" has been used to describe things that are in short supply since at least the 13th century, when it often referred to a shortage of food.
Origin and Etymology of dearth
Middle English derthe, from Old English *dierth, from dēore dear
First Known Use: 13th century
DEARTH Defined for English Language Learners
dearth
playDefinition of dearth for English Language Learners
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: the state or condition of not having enough of something
DEARTH Defined for Kids
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See words that rhyme with dearth Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dearth Spanish Central: Translation of dearth Nglish: Translation of dearth for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dearth for Arabic speakers
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