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- DictionaryScar·ci·ty/ˈskersədē/
noun
- 1. the state of being scarce or in short supply; shortage: "a time of scarcity"
The notion of scarcity is that there is never enough (of something) to satisfy all conceivable human wants, even at advanced states of human technology. Scarcity involves making a sacrifice— giving something up, or making a trade-off —in order to obtain more of the scarce resource that is wanted.
So scarcity is the state of there being very little of something. During a war when shipping gets interrupted, there might be a fuel scarcity, pushing people to carpool or ride bikes instead of driving. If you're in a room full of super boring people, you might say there's a scarcity of good conversation.
Definition of scarcity noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Scarcity definition: insufficiency or shortness of supply; dearth.. See examples of SCARCITY used in a sentence.
noun [ C, U ] uk / ˈskeəsəti / us. Add to word list. a situation in which there is not enough of something: a scarcity of food / affordable housing. (Definition of scarcity from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Translations of scarcity. in Chinese (Traditional) 缺乏, 不足, 短缺… See more. in Chinese (Simplified)
scarcity definition: a situation in which there is not enough of something: . Learn more.
Britannica Dictionary definition of SCARCITY. : a very small supply : the state of being scarce. [count] — usually singular. There was a scarcity of food. [=there was very little food; there was not enough food] wartime scarcities.