inadequacy
Americannoun
-
Also inadequateness the state or condition of being inadequate; insufficiency.
-
something inadequate; defect.
The plan has many inadequacies.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of inadequacy
First recorded in 1780–90; inadequ(ate) + -acy
Explanation
An inadequacy is something that is not enough. If you get a bad grade, it may reveal an inadequacy in your approach to studying. The syllable qua in inadequacy rhymes with duh, and the accent is on the second syllable: "in-AD-uh-quh-see." You know that in- means "not," and the suffix y means "the quality or state of." But what is that middle part? Adaequare is the Latin word for "to make equal." So, inadequacy is the state of not being equal — or enough — for something.
Vocabulary lists containing inadequacy
Novel Study: Freedom Walkers
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Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) Tribute List
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Vocabulary Review, Unit 1
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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.
Inadequacy for dealing with private companies is one problem.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2025
Inadequacy of information, not unsatisfactory weather, is often the reason for postponed flights.
From Time Magazine Archive
Inadequacy of Body Training If you have any thought that the control of your hidden mental energies is to be acquired by mere hygienic measures, put it from you.
From Psychology and Achievement Being the First of a Series of Twelve Volumes on the Applications of Psychology to the Problems of Personal and Business Efficiency by Hilton, Warren
Inadequacy of support is responsible for more library delinquency than the average citizen imagines.
From A Librarian's Open Shelf by Bostwick, Arthur E.
Inadequacy, helplessness, gaucherie, prove that the feelings are bigger than the eloquence.
From The Cup of Fury A Novel of Cities and Shipyards by Raleigh, Henry
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.
