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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lack
the fact or state of being absent
the dearth of salesclerks at the shoe store annoyed us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dearth
People might point to the relative dearth of major trophies, the 17-year gap between the 2008 League Cup and the 2025 Europa League, the fact that their last league title was in 1961.
—
Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2025
The dearth of affordable housing is having an impact.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Demand for industrial space declined significantly in the post-pandemic landscape, with high vacancy rates and a dearth of development.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
And indeed, the mantle has a dearth of siderophile elements.
—Quanta Magazine, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dearth
Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2025
The dearth of affordable housing is having an impact.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Demand for industrial space declined significantly in the post-pandemic landscape, with high vacancy rates and a dearth of development.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
And indeed, the mantle has a dearth of siderophile elements.
—Quanta Magazine, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dearth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dearth
Noun
-
The 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack shut down the largest refined products pipeline in the United States for several days, creating fuel shortages and demonstrating how OT disruptions cascade through the economy.—
Bob Ackerman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In a decade that some critics believe has a shortage of newness and invention, slop is one of the few frontiers that’s actively being pushed.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Trump’s encouragement of Walker was enough to spur him into the race, though Republicans as a whole were hesitant, given Walker’s lack of experience and standing as an unknown quantity among GOP voters.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Traditional data lakes can store raw data at scale but lack quality controls, while warehouses enforce structure but struggle with unstructured or fast changing data.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
More recently, Minnesota Democrat Rick Nolan returned to the House in the 2012 elections after a 32-year absence.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Per iSpot, the ad over-indexed on brand recognition; subsequent to being exposed to the commercial, 92% of consumers could correctly identify State Farm as the sponsor in the absence of any prompts, a percentage that exceeded the 90-day category average (77%).—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dearth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dearth. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share