Paucity

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(pronounced paw-sih-tee) noun

Definition

1. smallness or insufficiency of number; fewness; inadequacy. 2. quality or state of being less than sufficient in degree, quantity, or amount; scarcity; deficiency; dearth.

Main Example

• Judging from the various cabinet level and other senior appointments that have been announced so far by President Biden, one can conclude that there will be no paucity of people of color in his administration. In other words, Joe Biden is living up to his widely publicized campaign promise: "If I am elected, my administration will look like America."

Workplace Examples

• In my judgment, the primary reason why our company has continued to slip in the marketplace is not inadequate funding of R&D but a paucity of bold and imaginative leadership at the top.
• This afternoon's presentations on business strategy were a disappointment. I didn't hear a single worthwhile idea. There was a disheartening paucity of creative thinking.

Other Examples

• this author saying in an indignant speech: "When it comes to fighting cancer, there are a gazillion institutions in both the profit and non-profit sectors because there is so much money to be made in the process. But when it comes to the prevention of cancer--such as by spreading public awareness regarding which fruits and vegetables are best eaten organic or avoided altogether because of their astonishingly high pesticide content--there is an amazing paucity of news clips, documentaries, readily accessible facts and studies, and so on."
• the recent paucity of the two Covid-19 vaccines--those from Moderna and Pfizer--in some parts of the country threatening President Biden's goal of vaccinating over 150 million Americans within the first 100 days of his presidency; the inexplicable paucity of intelligence prior to the January 6 march on the U.S. Capitol despite the fact that the assault had been openly planned in social media for weeks
• shoppers at a prominent retail apparel store disappointed by the paucity of exciting new designs; a company's continuing loss of market share being blamed on a paucity of marketing talent and experience
• many parents of school-age children complaining about the paucity of intelligent and stimulating programs on television; the shocking paucity of knowledge about the most basic historical facts even among those studying at our best universities
• the fact that Japan is one of the world's top five industrial powers despite its paucity of natural resources being a testament to the admirable ethos of the Japanese people

© 2021 V.J. Singal
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