as in shortages
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there's a famine of good general practitioners in many rural areas
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Recent Examples of famines
Models suggest Pacific Ocean surface temperatures could climb to a peak anomaly of 3°C above average by late 2026, a threshold reached only once in recorded history, during the catastrophic 1877–78 event that triggered deadly famines across three continents.
—
Dr. Douglas M. Hasson, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026
Tuberculosis, for instance, is estimated to have caused about a billion deaths across history, more than all famines and wars combined.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
This was enough to cause widespread crop failures and famines.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Mar. 2026
Imagine what Irish and Indian patriots would have done to the innocent world language had the British staged massacres and caused famines on their lands.
—John Connelly, The New York Review of Books, 18 Dec. 2025
This was further supported by documentary evidence of poorer crop yields, weak harvests, and resultant famines.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2025
The 2025 Global Outlook report by the UN World Food Program (WFP) found that 319 million people face acute hunger, an increase of over 130 percent from pre-2020 levels, and that two famines are unfolding concurrently, in Gaza and in Sudan.
—Arif Husain, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2025
And that’s how America can turn one of the worst famines in history into a $13 billion party.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 28 Oct. 2025
Enter Bob Dylan, who gave a shoutout to those who grow the food that ends famines and sparked decades of giving through Live Aid.
—Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Dr. Douglas M. Hasson, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026
Tuberculosis, for instance, is estimated to have caused about a billion deaths across history, more than all famines and wars combined.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
This was enough to cause widespread crop failures and famines.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Mar. 2026
Imagine what Irish and Indian patriots would have done to the innocent world language had the British staged massacres and caused famines on their lands.
—John Connelly, The New York Review of Books, 18 Dec. 2025
This was further supported by documentary evidence of poorer crop yields, weak harvests, and resultant famines.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2025
The 2025 Global Outlook report by the UN World Food Program (WFP) found that 319 million people face acute hunger, an increase of over 130 percent from pre-2020 levels, and that two famines are unfolding concurrently, in Gaza and in Sudan.
—Arif Husain, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2025
And that’s how America can turn one of the worst famines in history into a $13 billion party.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 28 Oct. 2025
Enter Bob Dylan, who gave a shoutout to those who grow the food that ends famines and sparked decades of giving through Live Aid.
—Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famines
Noun
-
Owner David Garcia, who also runs La Camaronera, cited personal hardships, rising costs and labor shortages as factors in the closure.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2026
-
Builders are also under their own pressure from higher material costs, persistent labor shortages, and slower sales.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
Noun
-
The artist thought that paintings and drawings have a certain depth that photography on its own lacks.—
Kelsey Ables,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
What Hafley’s team lacks are proven, established names; productivity that can be relied on if healthy.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Famines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famines. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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