Paucity refers to "littleness" in numbers (as in "a paucity of facts") or quantity ("a paucity of common sense"). The word comes from paucus, Latin for "little."
If you had one of those Yugoslav names with a paucity of vowels, you might sprinkle in a few …—Calvin Trillin, Time, 22 May 2000For my part, I find increasingly that I miss the simplicity, the almost willful paucity, of the English way of doing things.—Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999This relative paucity of freeloaders and deadbeats means that rookie Americans, as a group, more than pay their way.—Jaclyn Fierman, Fortune, 9 Aug. 1993
a paucity of useful answers to the problem of traffic congestion at rush hour
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But the paucity of high-level talent across those 12 programs reflects the second-rate state of college basketball in the West.—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 28 June 2025 So buy the best example available, because needy cars are challenged by a paucity of plentiful parts.—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 13 June 2025 Barnes: Our old pecans, too, are untouched by the heat and paucity of rain so far.—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 Not just no goals, but a paucity of scoring chances compared to any stretch of the first four games.—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for paucity
Word History
Etymology
Middle English paucite, from Latin paucitat-, paucitas, from paucus little — more at few
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