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Learn a Little About Paucity
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."
Examples of paucity in a Sentence
If you had one of those Yugoslav names with a paucity of vowels, you might sprinkle in a few …
—
Calvin Trillin, Time, 22 May 2000
For 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, 1999
This 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
Calvin Trillin, Time, 22 May 2000
For 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, 1999
This 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
Recent Examples on the Web
And there’s a challenge in writing about Musk and South Africa, because of basically a paucity of sources.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 July 2026
Broadwater and his lawyer had opted for a bench trial, hoping that a judge would see the paucity of evidence and wouldn’t be swayed by emotion.
—
Joaquin Sapien,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
The Lakers still need to address a complete paucity of centers on their depth chart.
—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
27 June 2026
Scott Gerow, a luxury real estate agent, said interest in Boca grew amid a paucity in supply elsewhere during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—
Ruth Abramovitz,
Sun Sentinel,
19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for paucity
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 July 2026
Broadwater and his lawyer had opted for a bench trial, hoping that a judge would see the paucity of evidence and wouldn’t be swayed by emotion.
—
Joaquin Sapien,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
The Lakers still need to address a complete paucity of centers on their depth chart.
—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
27 June 2026
Scott Gerow, a luxury real estate agent, said interest in Boca grew amid a paucity in supply elsewhere during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—
Ruth Abramovitz,
Sun Sentinel,
19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for paucity
Cite this Entry
“Paucity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paucity. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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