shortages
Not enough around
Shortages is the plural of shortage—situations where demand exceeds supply.
The word implies insufficiency of something needed: food shortages, labor shortages, housing shortages.
Unlike scarcity, which suggests natural rarity, shortages often imply systemic or temporary failures: Supply chain disruptions caused shortages of computer chips.
Deficiency or absence
- dearthAcute shortage of something
- insufficiencyShortfall in amount needed
- undersupplyInadequate provision of goods
- unavailabilityState of being unobtainable
paucity · depletion · deficit · deficiency · inadequacy · want · sparsity · meagerness
Redeemable discount certificates
- ration cardsPermits for limited goods
- quotasMandated numerical limits
- allocationsDesignated shares of resources
- ration booksWartime supply allocation documents
food stamps · austerity · government control · points system · fair shares · wartime · emergency measures · price controls
lack
Deficiency or absence
- dearthAcute shortage of something
- insufficiencyShortfall in amount needed
- undersupplyInadequate provision of goods
unavailability · paucity · depletion · deficit · deficiency · inadequacy · want · sparsity · meagerness · rarity
coupons
Redeemable discount certificates
- ration cardsPermits for limited goods
- quotasMandated numerical limits
- allocationsDesignated shares of resources
ration books · food stamps · austerity · government control · points system · fair shares · wartime · emergency measures · price controls · queuing
emergency
Serious sudden danger
drought · collapse · turmoil · catastrophe · chaos · epidemic · outbreak · hardship · suffering · distress
- factory problemsdefects, breakdowns, downtime, bottlenecks, delays
- postwarrebuilding, demobilization, peace treaties, treaty signing, war reparations
- postwar economicsMarshall Plan, economic recovery, currency reform, Wirtschaftswunder, recovery programs
- Soviet economicscommand economy, planned economy, five-year plan, collectivization, collective farms
- Soviet Economycentral planning, command economy, five-year plans, planned economy, state ownership
- Soviet Industrycentral planning, five-year plans, planned economy, state enterprises, production quotas
shortagessurpluses
Amounts exceeding requirements
excesses · gluts · overabundances · oversupplies · abundances
- water shortageInsufficient supply of water
- housing shortageLack of available dwellings
- food shortagesInsufficient supply of nourishment
- labor shortageInsufficient workforce supply
- gas shortageInsufficient petroleum supply
- oil shortageInsufficient petroleum supply