1
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there was a dearth of usable firewood at the campsite
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lack
the fact or state of being absent
the dearth of salesclerks at the shoe store annoyed us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dearth
In a separate issue also related to a dearth of funding, the Family and Social Services Administration has also brought back the waitlist for child care vouchers for low-income families.
—
Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Big Law is a free-agent marketplace with no salary caps and a dearth of institutional loyalty.
—Mark A. Cohen, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Nickelodeon’s executive producer Brown Johnson— creator of the network’s preschool block, Nick Jr. — pitched the idea of the main character being Latina after attending an industry conference that underscored the dearth representation of Latinos in the media.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2025
Adam grew up in Madeira in the 1980s and '90s and mentioned the neighborhood's dearth of restaurants back then.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dearth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dearth
Noun
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Virtua's workforce development director works to identify roles with high turnover or shortages.—
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The reasons for the rapid decline in these industries include the shortage of younger generations that are willing to take over the labor-intensive family businesses and the increasing market competition against non-traditional food products.—
Noun
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People are getting more and more frustrated because of the inaction, because of the lack of coordination among themselves, lack of coordination with the government and bureaucracy, government and police, government and judiciary.—
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But due to a lack of a quorum caused by the Democrats’ absence, the chamber adjourned until 1 p.m. Tuesday.—
Noun
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Everything from the lack of marketing, inadequate pre-match warm-up conditions, pitch quality, and the absence of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) during the group stage has been condemned by players, managers and fans.—
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In the absence of guidance from the TEA, Central Texas districts in recent weeks have issued their own rules for how their staff members should interact with federal officers.—
Cite this Entry
“Dearth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dearth. Accessed 9 Aug. 2025.
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