inadequate

[in-ad-i-kwit]

adjective

1. not good enough for the purpose; inept or unsuitable.

   This old tent they gave us is completely inadequate—it’s equally bad at keeping out both the rain and the bugs!

   Synonyms: imperfect, defective, incommensurate, incompetent, inapt, incomplete
   Antonyms: sufficient

2. not sufficient for the purpose; not enough.

   The set of linens we received was so inadequate, we were asking friends for a loan of napkins and tablecloths.

3. Psychiatry.,  ineffectual in response to emotional, social, intellectual, and physical demands in the absence of any obvious mental or physical deficiency.

inadequate

/ ɪnˈædɪkwɪt /

adjective

1. not adequate; insufficient

2. not capable or competent; lacking

Other Word Forms

• inadequately adverb
• inadequacy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inadequate¹

First recorded in 1665–75; in- ³ + adequate

Example Sentences

Its staffing of 37 employees to mitigate risk for more than 10 million people, it said, was “fundamentally inadequate.”

From Los Angeles Times

Last week, one leading contractor told the BBC that the help offered by the government so far was inadequate.

From BBC

Prosecutors in Australia have filed an appeal against the sentence of mushroom murderer Erin Patterson, saying it was "manifestly inadequate".

From BBC

He told me the systems designed to protect young users were fundamentally inadequate.

From BBC

It found that thousands of supporters of the Swedish side had bought tickets from touts or resale websites, leading to issues of overcrowding as well as an inadequate response from police and stewards.

From BBC

Related Words

• deficient 
• faulty 
• incompetent 
• incomplete 
• lacking 
• meager 
• poor 
• sad 
• scarce 
• sketchy 
• skimpy 
• unequal 
• weak