scarcity

[ skair-si-tee ]
/ ˈskɛər sɪ ti /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR scarcity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural scar·ci·ties.

insufficiency or shortness of supply; dearth.
rarity; infrequency.

Origin of scarcity

1300–50; Middle English scarsete(e) < Old North French escarsete. See scarce, -ity

OTHER WORDS FROM scarcity

non·scar·ci·ty, noun, plural non·scar·ci·ties.

Words nearby scarcity

scarce, scarce as hen's teeth, scarcely, scarcely ever, scarcement, scarcity, scare, scare out of one's wits, scare quotes, scare up, scarecrow

Words related to scarcity

paucity, lack, inadequacy, dearth, famine, insufficiency, shortage, drought, stringency, infrequency, scantiness, rarity, want, sparsity, exiguity

Example sentences from the Web for scarcity

British Dictionary definitions for scarcity

scarcity
/ (ˈskɛəsɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

inadequate supply; dearth; paucity
rarity or infrequent occurrence

Cultural definitions for scarcity

scarcity

The basic problem on which classical economic theory is built: simply, that human wants will always exceed the resources available to fulfill those wants. This tenet was challenged by the rise of what John Kenneth Galbraith described as the affluent society.