Definitions

dearth

[durth] / dɜrθ /

NOUN

insufficiency, scarcity

Synonyms

STRONGEST

absence deficiency inadequacy lack paucity shortage

STRONG

default defect famine infrequency meagerness miss need poverty privation rareness scantiness scantness sparsity uncommonness want

WEAK

exiguousness slim pickings

Antonyms

STRONGEST

abundance adequacy enough plenty sufficiency

STRONG

advantage luxury perfection success wealth

WEAK

excess plentifulness

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There was no dearth of viewing material in Harris Norton’s house.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Nomura strategist Charlie McElligott has also spent weeks talking about a dearth of investors willing to bet on markets rising.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

She now leads the endometriosis service for the Northern Care Alliance and said there was a "dearth of training" and therefore problem "identifying and diagnosing" the disease.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Finding their conversations therapeutic—and perceiving a dearth of literature on mistakes—they have written “From Mistakes to Meaning.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

There is no dearth of men who understand these things, but these are not the men who order the wholesale drenching of the landscape with chemicals.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Vocabulary lists containing dearth

The Vocabulary.com Top 1000

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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words

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Zilch, Zip, Nada: Words For Nothing

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