adequate

American  

[ad-i-kwit] / ˈæd ɪ kwɪt /

adjective

1. as much or as good as necessary for some requirement or purpose; fully sufficient, suitable, or fit (often followed by to orfor ).

   This car is adequate to our needs.

   They’ll provide adequate food for fifty people.

   Synonyms:

   capable, enough, sufficient, competent, satisfactory

2. barely sufficient or suitable.

   Being adequate is not good enough.

3. Law. reasonably sufficient for starting legal action.

   adequate grounds.

---

adequate British  

/ ˈædɪkwəsɪ, ˈædɪkwɪt /

adjective

1. able to fulfil a need or requirement without being abundant, outstanding, etc

---

Other Word Forms

• adequacy noun
• adequately adverb
• adequateness noun
• preadequate adjective
• preadequateness noun
• quasi-adequate adjective
• superadequate adjective
• superadequateness noun

Etymology

Origin of adequate

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin adaequātus “matched” (past participle of adaequāre ); ad-, equal, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

The Hong Kong authorities say his medical treatment has been “adequate and comprehensive.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Two of his children have raised concerns over his health in recent months, but authorities said Lai has received "adequate and comprehensive" care.

From Barron's

So much so that I was struggling to come up with an adequate name for my recipe.

From Salon

The case for the customer: You paid him for a service, and you gave him adequate heads-up before he came to your house on that first trip.

From MarketWatch

I still have an adequate limit for my needs, and I understand that if there is any impact on my credit, it should be small and temporary.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• acceptable
• capable
• competent
• decent
• fair
• satisfactory
• sufficient
• suitable
• tolerable