Meanings
nounscarcity (countable and uncountable, plural scarcities)
plural scarcities
- uncountableThe condition of something being scarce or deficient.
Praise […] owes its value only to its scarcity.
July 6, 1751, Samuel Johnson, The Rambler No. 1361 more example
To understand the events of the next fifty years, then, one must understand environmental scarcity, cultural and racial clash, geographic destiny, and the transformation of war.
1994 February, Robert D. Kaplan, “The Coming Anarchy”, in The AtlanticSynonyms: infrequency
- countableAn inadequate amount of something; a shortage.
a scarcity of grain
1 more example
The crucial and intersecting challenges of scarcities, both emerging and intensifying, will consume China’s custodians over the next decade.
2013 September 24, Damien Ma, William Adams, “China's Next Great Challenge: Scarcity”, in The AtlanticSynonyms: dearth
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe condition of something being scarce or deficient.
Similar
nounAn inadequate amount of something; a shortage.
Similar
Opposite
More synonyms by meaning
nouna small and inadequate amount
Similar
Opposite
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Northern Frenchescarsete
- Middle Englishscarsite
- Englishscarcity
Inherited from Middle English scarsite, from Old Northern French escarsete; by surface analysis, scarce + -ity.
More words from Middle English, Old Northern French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σπάνις
- σπάνις (spánis)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
Bulgarian липса, оскъдица
- липса (lipsa)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
- оскъдица (oskădica)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
- недостиг (nedostig)an inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Catalan escassetat, escassedat
- escassetatthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- escassedatthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- escassesathe condition of something being scarce or deficient
Chinese Mandarin 缺少
- 缺少 (quēshǎo)an inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Czech nedostatek, nedostatek
- nedostatekthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- nedostatekan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Dutch schaarste, tekort
- schaarstethe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- tekortan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Esperanto malabundo
- malabundothe condition of something being scarce or deficient
Finnish vähyys, pula
- vähyysthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- pulaan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
French manque, rareté
- manquethe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- raretéthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- pénuriean inadequate amount of something; a shortage
German Mangel, Knappheit
- Mangelthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- Knappheitthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
Greek σπάνις, έλλειψη
- σπάνις (spánis)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
- έλλειψη (élleipsi)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
- στενότητα (stenótita)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
Hindi दुर्लभता, अल्पता
- दुर्लभता (durlabhtā)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
- अल्पता (alpatā)an inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Irish gannchúis, ganntanas
- gannchúisthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- ganntanasan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- gannchúisan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Italian scarsità, scarsità
- scarsitàthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- scarsitàan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Latin paucitās, inopia
- paucitāsthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- inopiaan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Māori ngōuruuru
- ngōuruuruan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Polish niedostatek
- niedostatekthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
Portuguese escassez, escassez
- escassezthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- escassezan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- carestiaan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Russian нехва́тка, ску́дость
- нехва́тка (nexvátka)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
- ску́дость (skúdostʹ)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
- недоста́ток (nedostátok)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
- недоста́ток (nedostátok)an inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- дефици́т (deficít)an inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Scottish Gaelic cion, gainne
- cionthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- gainnethe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- gainneadthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- cionan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- gainnean inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- gainneadan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Spanish escasez, penuria
- escasezthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- penuriathe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- carestíathe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- exigüidadthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- menesterthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- carestíaan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- carenciaan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- menesteran inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Swahili uchache, uhaba
- uchachethe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- uhabathe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- uchachean inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- uhabaan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Tagalog kauyakan
- kauyakanthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
Turkish kıtlık, darlık
- kıtlıkthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- darlıkthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- azlıkthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- yoklukthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- darlıkan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- kıtlıkan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Ukrainian неста́ча, неста́ча
- неста́ча (nestáča)the condition of something being scarce or deficient
- неста́ча (nestáča)an inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Welsh anamlder, prinder
- anamlderthe condition of something being scarce or deficient
- prinderan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
- diffygan inadequate amount of something; a shortage
Cite this entry
APA
scarcity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scarcity
MLA
“scarcity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scarcity. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scarcity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scarcity.
Source: scarcity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.