noun · neutral
scarcity
UK/ˈskeəsəti/US/ˈskersəti/SCAR·ci·ty
Band 7+speakingtask2
the state of being in short supply; not having enough of something (e.g., water, food)
Examples
“Water scarcity is forcing farmers to change their crops.”
“The long drought caused scarcity of drinking water in many villages.”
“Addressing resource scarcity requires planning at national level.”
Band 8 sentence
“Long-term water scarcity in the region has forced policymakers to rethink irrigation policies and urban planning.”
Collocations
- scarcity of
- water scarcity
- acute scarcity
Word family
scarce adjectivescarcely adverb
Common mistakes
many scarcity of water→a scarcity of water
scarcities are common→scarcity is common
Say it for a higher band
5lack→6shortage→7+scarcity
Synonyms
shortage
lack
Easily confused
shortage
“The war disrupted supplies and led to a shortage of medicines.”
Related words
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In Environment & Climate
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