1
Core meaning
A scarcity, shortage, or lack of something needed or expected.
Example
A dearth of rainfall reduced the harvest.
dearth
/dɜːθ/ · DURTHnoun
A scarcity, shortage, or lack of something needed or expected.
Use dearth to express this relationship precisely: a scarcity, shortage, or lack of something needed or expected.
What dearth Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common noun frame
Use this noun in a complete noun phrase, adding the complement that identifies what it refers to when needed.
Example
The claim persists partly because of a dearth of reliable records.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact concept matters; a related term may describe its cause, evidence, or opposite instead.
Example
There is no dearth of theories, but few have been tested.
Use dearth Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
A dearth of rainfall reduced the harvest.
The claim persists partly because of a dearth of reliable records.
There is no dearth of theories, but few have been tested.
Precision Matters
Dearth overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
dearth
vs.Means a scarcity, shortage, or lack of something needed or expected.
paucity
Means a scarcity or insufficient amount of something.
dearth
vs.Means a scarcity, shortage, or lack of something needed or expected.
copious
Means abundant or plentiful in quantity.
dearth
vs.Means a scarcity, shortage, or lack of something needed or expected.
prodigious
Means remarkably large or impressive.
dearth
vs.Means a scarcity, shortage, or lack of something needed or expected.
exorbitant
Means unreasonably high or excessive.
Test dearth in Context
There is an insufficient amount of the evidence needed to settle the question.
1
The question remains unsettled because there is a ___ of contemporary evidence.