Paucity
hardNegative tonePAW-sih-tee
noun
Definition
The presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities
Memory hook
PAUCI-TY: like a PAUPER who has very few possessions — a scarcity of something.
Word roots
paucus— few(Latin)
Learning roots unlocks whole word families. Study common GRE root words.
Examples
“The paucity of evidence made prosecution difficult.”
“There was a paucity of qualified candidates for the position.”
Test yourself
Fill in the blank with the right word:
“The ______ of evidence made prosecution difficult.”
Show answer
paucity
Categories
GRE Tip
Paucity is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "scarcity" or "dearth" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "abundance".
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