Paucity
noun /ˈpɔːsɪti/ — Presence in very small or insufficient quantities.
Definition
The presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities; a lack that is notable because more is expected or needed.
Beyond the definition
Paucity is a more formal, more precise cousin of dearth — both describe shortage, but paucity often emphasises that the quantity is not just small but inadequate for the purpose at hand.
Origin & history
From Latin paucitas (fewness), from paucus (few, little). Related to the Latin for 'few', which also gives us 'poco' in music — a little. A paucity is not just few but not enough.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The paucity of reliable data made any firm conclusions premature.
There is a paucity of women in senior leadership despite decades of stated commitment.
She was struck by the paucity of imagination in a field that prided itself on creativity.
Synonyms
scarcity, shortage, dearth, lack, insufficiency
Antonyms
abundance, surplus, profusion, plenty
Related words
- dearth
- scarcity
- deficit
- want
Paucity vs dearth
Dearth is the more emotional word — a dearth of kindness, a dearth of vision — implying an absence that is felt as a loss. Paucity is more analytical: it measures quantity against need and finds it insufficient. You'd use paucity in a research paper ('a paucity of longitudinal studies') and dearth in an essay ('a dearth of political imagination'). Both name shortage, but dearth mourns it; paucity diagnoses it.
Compare this word
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Notable Lack of Content
An adult sits alone in a vast, empty room with minimal furniture.
The paucity of objects in the room is notable because it is a grand, vast space where one might expect more. The emptiness is a significant lack that highlights the isolation of the adult sitting within it.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration