Definition

Noun: 1. An insufficient quantity or number; scarcity: A state where there is too little of something, or not enough to meet needs or expectations. 2. Smallness of number or amount: The condition of being few in number or meager in quantity.

Usage

• Used to describe a lack or shortage of something, often something important or necessary.
• Typically followed by "of" to specify what is lacking.
• Common in formal, academic, and written contexts to discuss deficiencies.

Examples

• Noun:
  • There is a paucity of reliable information on this historical event.
  • The project failed due to a paucity of funding.
  • A paucity of evidence made the case difficult to prove.

Advanced Usage

• "Paucity of data/research/evidence": A very common collocation in academic writing to indicate a lack of sufficient information to draw firm conclusions.
  • The study's limitations include a paucity of data from rural areas.
• "Reveal/highlight a paucity": Used to describe the act of showing or exposing a shortage.
  • The audit revealed a paucity of safety protocols.

Variants and Related Words

• Paucal (Adjective): A grammatical term relating to a number category for a few items (as opposed to singular or plural). (Note: This is a technical linguistic term, not a direct variant of "paucity" in common usage.)

Synonyms

• Scarcity: The state of being in short supply.
• Dearth: A scarcity or lack of something.
• Insufficiency: The condition of being inadequate.
• Shortage: A situation in which something needed cannot be obtained in sufficient amounts.
• Deficiency: A lack or shortage.

Antonyms

• Abundance: A very large quantity of something.
• Plenitude: A large or sufficient amount.
• Surfeit: An excessive amount.
• Myriad: A countless or extremely great number.

Noun

1. an insufficient quantity or number