paucity

Meaning

The presence of something in insufficient quantity; scarcity or shortage.

Origin / Etymology

From Latin paucitas, fewness, from paucus, few.

Synonyms

scarcity shortage dearth insufficiency

Antonyms

abundance surfeit plenty profusion

Example Sentence

"A paucity of trained health workers in rural districts undermines even well-funded public health missions."

🎯 UPSC Usage

A precise noun for GS2 governance and social sector answers on resource gaps. Use it in place of loose words like lack, for example, 'the paucity of disaggregated data hampers targeting of welfare benefits.'

Relevant Subjects

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