scarcity

/ˈskeəsəti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈskersəti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsker-sə-tē -stē/ (ame, mw)

scarcity — 名詞

1. a condition in which the amount of something available is much smaller than the

1.名詞C2
釋義

短缺；缺乏

物資不足、難以獲得的狀況

a condition in which the amount of something available is much smaller than the amount that people need or want

例句

During the drought, the region faced a severe scarcity of clean drinking water.

乾旱期間，該地區面臨嚴重缺乏乾淨飲用水的困境。

collocation: scarcity of + resource

The scarcity of affordable housing has forced many families to move to cheaper areas.

平價房屋的短缺迫使許多家庭搬到生活費用較低的地區。

同義詞
  • shortage

    more common in everyday language; interchangeable in most contexts

  • lack

    broader meaning, covers both concrete and abstract absence

  • dearth

    more formal and literary, often with a dramatic tone

  • insufficiency

    formal and technical, often used in academic or official writing

反義詞
  • abundance

    opposite idea of having more than enough

  • surplus

    specific to having extra after needs are met

  • plenty

    informal and conversational

文法句型

scarcity of + noun phrase

用法筆記

Typically followed by of to specify the thing in short supply. Usually uncountable, but may appear as a countable noun in formal contexts referring to multiple instances (e.g., scarcities of different minerals).

常見錯誤

❗ 'There is a scarcity clean water.' ✅ 'There is a scarcity of clean water.' — The noun scarcity requires the preposition 'of' before the thing that is in short supply.