Synonyms of shortage

shortage

noun

ˈshȯr-tij 

as in lack

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

there was a troubling shortage of supplies for the troops overseas this year

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shortage

But the time required for the largest tankers to rest outside the strait waiting for crude deliveries from smaller vessels has effectively created a tanker shortage. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Lee is also developing his next idea, which takes on present-day Singapore concerns, among them a low birth rate and a shortage of land, and adds a supernatural element. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

An amendment to the state’s Live Local Act that took effect in July allows developers to build workforce housing on government land in a bid to tackle the state’s shortage of affordable housing. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

And China, seeking to avoid fuel shortages, has restricted its exports. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026