scarcity
noun
scar·ci·ty
ˈsker-sə-tē 
-stē
plural scarcities
: the quality or state of being scarce
especially
: want of provisions for the support of life
Examples of scarcity in a Sentence
Scarcity of food forced the herds to move.
the scarcity of good restaurants around here is surprising
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Scarcity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scarcity. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scarcity
noun
scar·ci·ty
ˈsker-sət-ē
ˈskar-
plural scarcities
: the quality or state of being scarce : a very small supply
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