Spanish Conversation · Level 65
60 words
Spanish word
carencia
Pronunciation
IPA/kaˈɾenθja/
Meaning
- feminine nounshortage
Example
Hay carencia de agua en el pueblo.
There is a shortage of water in the village.
More examples
Durante la crisis, la carencia de alimentos fue evidente en muchas tiendas.
During the crisis, the food shortage was evident in many stores.
Core concept
A visibly understocked medicine cabinet.
Common phrases
carencia de alimentos
food shortage
carencia de servicios básicos
shortage of basic services
Similar words
falta: Lack of a needed thing or action, often a simple or temporary shortfall.
ausencia: Nonexistence or nonappearance of something that should be present.
Definition in Spanish
Insuficiencia o ausencia de algo que se considera necesario para el funcionamiento, la salud o el bienestar de una situación o persona.
Word origin
The noun carencia originates in Latin carentia, from the verb carēre 'to be without', and refers to an absence or insufficiency of elements required for health or proper functioning.
Usage tips
- In contexts about services or health, carencia signals a serious or systemic shortage rather than a temporary lack, so it feels more formal and weighty than falta.
Other meanings
- scarcitynoun
- lacknoun
Opposites
- abundanciaabundancenoun
- plenitudplentynoun
Related words
- carentelackingadjective