From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdearthdearth /dɜːθ $ dɜːrθ/ noun [singular] NOT HAVEa lack of something that people want or needdearth of a dearth of job opportunities
Examples from the Corpus
dearth• However, there is a dearth of systematic research into the changes effected.• A trader could no longer bank on mortgages' being cheap because of a dearth of buyers.• The Wedding Present consolidated their reputation as a fine live band during 1988 but released a dearth of new material.• There was a dearth of pens that day in class.• That dearth of elite talent was apparent the first weekend of conference play, when they were swept by Cal and Stanford.• San Francisco Unified is not alone in trying to find ways to address the dearth of minority teaching candidates.• The clearest evidence for this is the dearth of people keen to work with frail older people.dearth of• There is a dearth of qualified workers.From Longman Business Dictionarydearthdearth /dɜːθdɜːrθ/ noun [singular] a lack of somethingThis is a critical time for small business, which faces a dearth of start-up financing. → opposite glut1Origin dearth (1200-1300) → DEAR3 “expensive” ((11-21 centuries)) 