as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
a paucity of useful answers to the problem of traffic congestion at rush hour
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 paucity
Both teams faced the same challenge in their quest to understand how cats came to sit on mats—namely, a paucity of archaeologic evidence through time.
—
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 27 Nov. 2025
What connects those three results is the notion that at the season's halfway mark, there appears to be a paucity of pigskin dominance across a league where teams toggle between looking superb and sliding, varying on the week.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2025
But the indictments are startling for their paucity compared with the charges described in Patel’s boasts.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2025
Rather, her photos, documents and collages point to the extreme paucity of surviving evidence and the utter impossibility of a cohesive, factual narrative.
—Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paucity
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 27 Nov. 2025
What connects those three results is the notion that at the season's halfway mark, there appears to be a paucity of pigskin dominance across a league where teams toggle between looking superb and sliding, varying on the week.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2025
But the indictments are startling for their paucity compared with the charges described in Patel’s boasts.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2025
Rather, her photos, documents and collages point to the extreme paucity of surviving evidence and the utter impossibility of a cohesive, factual narrative.
—Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paucity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paucity
Noun
-
Several cultural events, including a book fair, have been postponed in Cuba this month as the island grapples with the most severe fuel shortages and power blackouts in years.—
Andrea Rodriguez,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
However, power outages and staff shortages also might be at play.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
From an outside lens, Norway’s lack of hockey success doesn’t make much sense, especially considering its status in other winter sports.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Visits to the shrine are seen by Japan's neighbors as evidence of a lack of remorse for Japan's wartime past.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paucity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paucity. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
