MEANING
The presence of too little of something needed or expected.
Use it for
describing limited evidence without claiming complete absence; identifying too few observations for a strong conclusion; explaining why a literature cannot support a broad claimDistinguishes too little available evidence from no evidence at all. Academic functions: Evidence, Qualification / Uncertainty, Limitation.
Words that belong together
- a paucity of evidence
- a paucity of data
- a paucity of research
On the page
A paucity of contemporary records limits the reconstruction of the dispute.
The conclusion remains tentative because of the paucity of independent tests.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- paucity
Usage notes
Usually singular or uncountable: a paucity of + plural noun or mass noun. Avoid a routine plural for the general condition. Register: formal. Commonness: uncommon (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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