dearth
a scarcity or shortage of something
Word origin: From Middle English derth, from dere, costly or scarce.
Dearth in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing dearth in a sentence.
A dearth of rain that summer left the reservoirs dangerously low.
The region's dearth of trained physicians forced patients to travel hours for routine care.
Using “dearth” well
Dearth means a damaging shortage and pairs with scarcity and paucity. Despite sounding related to death, the words are unconnected; dearth derives from dear in the old sense of costly because scarce.
More GRE words starting with D
to engage in something superficially or as a casual pastime
a raised platform for speakers or honored guests
to waste time or act without urgency
to make something slightly wet, or to make a feeling or reaction less strong
marked with spots or patches of color or light
to intimidate or discourage with fear or doubt
to move slowly or waste time idly
a sudden and complete failure or collapse
Questions about “dearth”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.