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

What drew so many people to these concerts, as well as to recent stadium shows in London and Paris this fall, was a sense of nostalgia and a perception of scarcity. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Blake Miller, a firefighter from Scottsdale who was deployed to wildfires in the Pacific Northwest over the summer, said his crews faced resource scarcities battling large Oregon infernos. — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

That question of provenance and a lot of the vocabulary—scarcity, craftsmanship, raw materials—has become interwoven with the language of luxury fashion today. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026

The Rangers want Garand versus Korpisalo to be a competition, but the scarcity of preseason games and Korpisalo’s acquisition cost and cap hit make the veteran seem like the front-runner. — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026