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
The scarcity and rising cost of natural gas doesn’t worry me much, because most of my energy comes from the solar panels on my roof.
—
Tom Caffery, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Like, somebody that has lived with scarcity.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Combine these two scarcities and watch how PooCravian information proliferates with no end in sight.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
Data scarcity remains a primary bottleneck in robot learning, particularly the lack of physical interaction data, which is essential for robots to operate effectively in the real world.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scarcity
Tom Caffery, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Like, somebody that has lived with scarcity.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Combine these two scarcities and watch how PooCravian information proliferates with no end in sight.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
Data scarcity remains a primary bottleneck in robot learning, particularly the lack of physical interaction data, which is essential for robots to operate effectively in the real world.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scarcity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scarcity
Noun
-
There won’t be a shortage of suitors, if Alvarez is made available.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has resulted in the loss of nearly a billion barrels of oil, with the shortage growing worse every day the sea lane remains closed.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Staff and managers complained about the lack of specifics, as did legal-services providers and advocacy groups.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
Pratt took aim at Bass over the lack of water available during the inferno, with fire hydrants running dry.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scarcity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scarcity. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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