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

Other European economies’ deficits are also much smaller by comparison. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

The Penguins cut the deficit to one late in the third period with goals from Chinakhov and Carlile. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Consequently, analysts point out that if the government seeks to bridge fiscal deficits while other policy tools remain constrained, corporations may be the first target for tax hikes. — CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026

The second was about how the no-new-tax pledge scuttled the mission of reducing the budget deficit—a key goal of Darman’s. — Bob Woodward, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026