Synonyms of deficit

deficit

noun

ˈde-fə-sət 

as in shortage

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

a growing deficit in the number of hours devoted to sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deficit

Gordon would score on a 12-yard run in the final minute of the third quarter, closing the deficit to five points in the fourth quarter. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026

Local governments are running deficits, with many struggling to pay teachers and civil servants their salaries and benefits on time. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

And Honda has now introduced a second power unit upgrade that has helped drivability even while at a power deficit to the others. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026

The deficit this year is over 6 percent of GDP, higher than in any year of the Great Depression. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026