SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS

paucity

noun

A shortage or insufficient amount.

Compare the alternatives Definition and examples

Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.

Insufficient amount

Closest synonyms

dearth scarcity shortage insufficiency lack deficiency

Related words and expressions

These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.

Usage distinction

Paucity stresses that there is too little for the purpose; scarcity emphasizes limited availability.

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CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

See paucity in use

The paucity of surviving letters made the biography difficult to write.

Dictionary practice example.

Despite the profusion of images, the volunteers faced a paucity of reliable dates for the older celebrations.

From Too Much of One Thing, Too Little of Another.

Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.

Synonym reference scope and sources

The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.

Princeton WordNet 3.0: selected lexical senses

How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license

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