sufficient

American  

[suh-fish-uhnt] / səˈfɪʃ ənt /

adjective

1. adequate for the purpose; enough.

   sufficient proof;

   sufficient protection.

   Antonyms:

   inadequate, scant, meager

2. Logic. (of a condition) such that its existence leads to the occurrence of a given event or the existence of a given thing.

3. Archaic. competent.

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sufficient British  

/ səˈfɪʃənt /

adjective

1. enough to meet a need or purpose; adequate

2. logic (of a condition) assuring the truth of a statement; requiring but not necessarily required by some other state of affairs Compare necessary

3. archaic competent; capable

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noun

1. a sufficient quantity

Other Word Forms

• oversufficient adjective
• oversufficiently adverb
• presufficient adjective
• presufficiently adverb
• quasi-sufficient adjective
• quasi-sufficiently adverb
• sufficiently adverb
• supersufficient adjective
• supersufficiently adverb

Etymology

Origin of sufficient

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin sufficient-, stem of sufficiēns “supplying,” present participle of sufficere “to supply, suffice,” equivalent to suf- suf- + -ficere, combining form of facere “to do, make”; suffice

Explanation

If you have a sufficient amount of something, it's enough — not too much, not too little, just right. Goldilocks would be pleased. Sufficient comes from a Latin verb meaning "to meet the need." If something is sufficient it has met, or satisfied, a need. Enough is often used as a synonym for sufficient, and when something is not sufficient, it is too little to take care of what's needed. Sufficient can, however, also suggest just enough and not an abundance, as in "the money was sufficient for groceries, but we needed more to fill the gas tank."

Example Sentences

The findings confirmed that even compact tools were sufficient to meet key objectives, including identifying rocks important for astrobiology and resource exploration.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026

When fertilizer arrives late or becomes too expensive to buy in sufficient quantities, farmers are left to either reduce the amount they use, plant fewer crops or switch to crops that need less fertilizer.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

The reduction is due to delays in procuring sufficient high-bandwidth memory from suppliers SK Hynix and Micron Technology, he added.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Luna had to explain to the friend later that calling a couple of times was sufficient.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

For the Arguments to induce belief, though of sufficient certainty, yet do not so constrain the mind to give its assent, but there is prudence and choice in it.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• acceptable
• ample
• plentiful
• satisfactory
• tolerable