Synonyms of dearth

dearth

noun

ˈdərth 

1

as in shortage

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

there was a dearth of usable firewood at the campsite

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shortage
• lack
• paucity
• deficiency
• scarcity
• absence
• famine
• drought
• deficit
• insufficiency
• inadequacy
• poverty
• lacuna
• scarceness
• scantiness
• undersupply
• crunch
• failure
• inadequateness
• pinch
• omission
• want
• necessity
• meagerness
• privation
• poorness
• skimpiness
• need

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abundance
• plenty
• wealth
• sufficiency
• adequacy
• amplitude
• plenitude
• opulence
• surplus
• excess
• surfeit
• overabundance
• copiousness
• oversupply
• bountifulness

2

as in lack

the fact or state of being absent

the dearth of salesclerks at the shoe store annoyed us

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lack
• absence
• shortage
• paucity
• scarcity
• deficiency
• famine
• insufficiency
• inadequacy
• omission
• necessity
• poverty
• deficit
• deprivation
• want
• loss
• meagerness
• scarceness
• scantiness
• undersupply
• failure
• privation
• skimpiness
• need
• inadequateness
• vacuum
• needfulness
• void
• emptiness
• vacuity
• scantness
• blankness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• presence
• abundance
• plenty
• wealth
• plenitude
• surplus
• amplitude
• sufficiency
• adequacy
• bounty
• excess
• flood
• quantity
• plentitude
• oversupply
• surfeit
• supply
• lot
• loads
• volume
• deluge
• plentifulness
• overabundance
• mass
• plenteousness
• superabundance
• stock
• deal
• mountain
• pile
• heap
• bushel
• raft
• stack
• reams
• fund
• pot
• pool
• peck
• wad
• scads
• stockpile
• oodles
• hoard
• gobs
• cache
• stash
• much

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dearth

When first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury in May, Devers declined to learn the position despite Boston’s dearth of options. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026

On Thursday, Brian Hickerson’s attorney released a statement on the actor’s dearth and the investigation into what happened before emergency responders arrived at the scene. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026

However, this year, as with many recent years, Powell has suffered from a dearth of snow — last winter was one of the driest and warmest on record for the western US. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026

New media offers an alternative place for discovery A dearth of late-night spots particularly affects independent acts — the kind that could really benefit from the exposure, just like Future Islands. — Maria Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

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