Paucity – Meaning & Examples in a Sentence

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Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

We come across so many words and phrases each day, sometimes even words that are new to us, like the word “paucity.” It’s not as common as some terms in the English language; it encompasses a specific meaning that can come in handy. So, let’s take a look at the word “paucity” in some detail as I explain its meaning and where it came from.

What Does Paucity Mean?

Paucity Meaning Examples in a Sentence

Paucity is a noun that refers to the presence of something in very minute quantities. It’s sometimes used to really show the scarcity or lack of a certain resource or quality.

Basically, paucity conveys the idea that there’s just not enough of something to satisfy whatever need there is for it.

Etymology or Origin of the Word Paucity

Like so many words in English, this one gets its roots from an old French word paucité, going back to somewhere in the late 14th century. Even then, it still meant smallness in quantity or a scarcity of some sort. There’s also a later Latin root word called “paucus,” which basically means “little.”

How Do You Use the Word Paucity?

You should use the word paucity primarily as a noun to describe the lack or insufficiency of just about anything. You can work it into various contexts, including scientific, political, economic, or social discussions.

What Is the Adjective Form of Paucity?

The adjective form of “paucity” is pauce. But it’s a super rare term and not commonly used in today’s language. Instead, people often use phrases like “scarce,” “limited,” or “in short supply” to convey the same meaning as an adjective. But you wouldn’t be wrong if you did use it.

How to Pronounce Paucity

Paucity is pronounced as paw-sit-tee. Pretty simple!

What Is the Synonym of Paucity?

Since paucity isn’t really a common word we use in everyday language, here are some synonyms for paucity you can use in place of it.

  • Scarcity
  • Dearth
  • Shortage
  • Insufficiency
  • Few
  • Not enough
  • Lack
  • Deficiency
  • Want
  • Sparsity
  • Infrequency

Using Paucity in a Sentence

Paucity Meaning Examples in a Sentence 1

Here are a whole bunch of examples showing you how to use the word “paucity” in a sentence. Note the context surrounding the intent of it.

  • There’s an awful paucity of affordable housing in major cities, which creates massive levels of homelessness.
  • The paucity of funding for arts programs in Newfoundland has really limited the number of artists and other creatives launching new projects.
  • Researchers noted the extreme paucity of documentation and data on the new pharmaceutical drug, making it difficult for them to draw definitive conclusions about a public release.
  • The paucity of rainfall this year has been a detriment to local farmers all over the country.
  • The paucity of women having babies will eventually lead to a population reduction. 
  • A paucity of stars means the city has too much light pollution.
  • Due to a paucity of resources and volunteers for Kubs this year, we have to reduce the number of entrants to ensure we have enough leaders to help out.

No Paucity of Grammar Tips!

I love learning new words and meanings! It helps broaden my vocabulary and strengthens my writing. I hope my quick guide on the word paucity has cleared the air of any confusion you might have had about it. Now you know that it means “few,” “smallness of quantity,” or “not enough.”