paucity
Say it: PAW-sih-tee /ˈpɔsəti/ · noun
What “paucity” means
Only a small amount, often too little.
More precisely: The presence of something in only small or insufficient amounts.
Example: “The paucity of evidence made the theory hard to take seriously.”
When to use it
In formal writing or discussion, when you want to stress how little evidence, information or another resource exists.
Similar words
scarcity, shortage, lack
Where it comes from
From Latin paucus, "few."
Quick check
A museum hopes to fill a gallery, but has only two tiny objects to display. What describes its collection?
a paucity or a surplus?
Show the answer
a paucity
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