as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
the scarcity of good restaurants around here is surprising
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Recent Examples of scarcity
Water scarcity, due to exceptionally low mountain snow and soil-drying heat, looms foremost.
—
Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
In some markets, that scarcity of listings has helped sustain competition.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Tordillos said the biggest limiting factor has been the scarcity of public funding available to finance such developments.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
There’s a classist hierarchy with Chairwoman Park at the top, Josh and Lindsay in the middle, and Austin and Ashley at the bottom, and as Josh and Lindsay face off against Austin and Ashley, Lee and his collaborators sketch out a world ruled by a scarcity mind-set.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scarcity
Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
In some markets, that scarcity of listings has helped sustain competition.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Tordillos said the biggest limiting factor has been the scarcity of public funding available to finance such developments.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
There’s a classist hierarchy with Chairwoman Park at the top, Josh and Lindsay in the middle, and Austin and Ashley at the bottom, and as Josh and Lindsay face off against Austin and Ashley, Lee and his collaborators sketch out a world ruled by a scarcity mind-set.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scarcity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scarcity
Noun
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As the Department of Transportation faced criticism for widespread flight delays caused by a shortage of air traffic controllers amid a government shutdown in 2025, Duffy appeared at a campaign event for his son.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
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With a smorgasbord of food deals from local and national chains to choose from, there's no shortage of ways to celebrate.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The lack of information drove Congress last year to pass the bill forcing the DOJ to release the Epstein files.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
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Other fire survivors complained of Edison’s lack of planning and coordination with residents.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scarcity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scarcity. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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