Scarcity
'skɛərsɪti
Definitions
A state of limited supply, especially of something essential; a shortage.
'skɛərsɪti
The state of being scarce or in short supply; shortage.
The drought caused a scarcity of water in the area.
💡 Simply: Imagine there's only a tiny amount of your favorite toy left—that's scarcity! It means there's not enough of something everyone wants.
👶 For kids: When there's not enough of something to go around, like when there's only one cookie left for a bunch of kids, that's scarcity!
More Examples
The scarcity of skilled workers is a major challenge for the company.
Due to the scarcity of the resource, prices have increased dramatically.
How It's Used
"The scarcity of resources leads to economic competition."
"Water scarcity is a major concern in many regions."
Idioms & expressions
scarcity mentality
A mindset based on the belief that there isn't enough of something (money, resources, opportunities) to go around.
"She struggled with a scarcity mentality, constantly worrying about losing her job."
artificial scarcity
A situation where a product or resource is made to seem rare, even if it isn't. This is often done to increase demand and price.
"Companies create artificial scarcity by limiting the release of new products."
From Middle English scarcete, from Old French scarcete (French: rareté), from scarce 'rare' (from Vulgar Latin *excarcere 'rare, scarce,' from Latin carus 'dear, valued').
The word has been used since the 14th century, originally referring to something rare or infrequent. Its meaning evolved to encompass shortages in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Memory tip
Think of a scarce resource, like water in a desert. Scarcity is the opposite of abundance.
Word Origin
"rareness"