deficiency
Americannoun
plural
deficiencies-
the state of being deficient; lack; incompleteness; insufficiency.
- Synonyms:
- scarcity, paucity, inadequacy, shortage
-
the amount lacked; a deficit.
noun
-
the state or quality of being deficient
-
a lack or insufficiency; shortage
-
another word for deficit
-
biology the absence of a gene or a region of a chromosome normally present
Other Word Forms
- nondeficiency noun
- predeficiency noun
Etymology
Origin of deficiency
First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin dēficientia, Latin dēficient- (stem of dēficiēns ); deficient, -ency
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He attempts to disguise this deficiency with endless boasting about himself and endless denigration of others.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026
A 2009 study involving 200 men with bladder cancer found that those with color vision deficiency were often diagnosed at more advanced and invasive stages than those with typical vision.
From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026
On Tuesday the FDA said it was in fact approving use of leucovorin for a rare condition called cerebral folate deficiency but not for autism.
From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026
NHS guidance differs between trusts, but it states that a man with levels below 6 to 8nmol/L may have testosterone deficiency.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
Her own father’s perfect exemption from any thought of the kind, the entire deficiency in him of all such sort of penetration or suspicion, was a most comfortable circumstance.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
