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
Synonyms
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
Unless the rules change, Aspen won’t ever see a new home built at that size, so scarcity also helped push the price higher.
—
Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Talent scarcity is a long-term challenge for the global economy.
—Sander Van 't Noordende, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Development to date has focused on leveraging the capabilities of NFTs to introduce digital scarcity while using smart contracts to better enforce the distribution of royalties.
—Victoria Chynoweth, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The international agency's report aims to highlight how tensions over water access are leading to scarcity and stress over the essential resource — exacerbating conflicts across the world.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024
From Kim Kardashian to Jennifer Lopez, it’s become a status symbol largely driven by quality and scarcity, with prices reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024
The groups have exploited several systemic security failings in Nigeria, including the scarcity of rural police and alleged corruption preventing security forces from being adequately armed.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
This came from the protagonist’s baby, of course—from his first smiles, his crawling, his discovery of first foods amongst scarcity—but also from all the other loves in the book, for family and friends, even for strangers, bonds formed in extremity.
—Megan Hunter, Vogue, 6 Apr. 2024
On top of making strategic sense, the consolidation of AI teams may become virtually necessary due to the scarcity of skilled AI professionals and AI resources.
—David Zuluaga Martínez, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Talent scarcity is a long-term challenge for the global economy.
—Sander Van 't Noordende, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Development to date has focused on leveraging the capabilities of NFTs to introduce digital scarcity while using smart contracts to better enforce the distribution of royalties.
—Victoria Chynoweth, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The international agency's report aims to highlight how tensions over water access are leading to scarcity and stress over the essential resource — exacerbating conflicts across the world.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024
From Kim Kardashian to Jennifer Lopez, it’s become a status symbol largely driven by quality and scarcity, with prices reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024
The groups have exploited several systemic security failings in Nigeria, including the scarcity of rural police and alleged corruption preventing security forces from being adequately armed.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
This came from the protagonist’s baby, of course—from his first smiles, his crawling, his discovery of first foods amongst scarcity—but also from all the other loves in the book, for family and friends, even for strangers, bonds formed in extremity.
—Megan Hunter, Vogue, 6 Apr. 2024
On top of making strategic sense, the consolidation of AI teams may become virtually necessary due to the scarcity of skilled AI professionals and AI resources.
—David Zuluaga Martínez, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scarcity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to scarcity
Dictionary Entries Near scarcity
Cite this Entry
“Scarcity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scarcity. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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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