Synonyms of scarcity

scarcity

noun

ˈsker-sə-tē 

as in shortage

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

the scarcity of good restaurants around here is surprising

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scarcity

Nguyen was inspired to leverage her position as young adult librarian to address neighborhood food scarcity. — Melody Xu, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026

Grantham’s own framing reaches for an even longer horizon, tying market excess to demographic collapse and resource scarcity. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026

Foundational to all economic thinking, scarcity is the reason why the frontier exists at all. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Aug. 2026

In an era of screen abundance, Hollywood has tried to differentiate the theatrical release by creating an artificial sense of scarcity and transience. — Sophia Nguyen, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026