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.

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adequate British  

/ ˈædɪkwəsɪ, ˈædɪkwɪt /

adjective

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

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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

Farmers are supposed to have adequate slurry storage to prevent animal welfare issues and any pollution risks due to potential overflowing.

From BBC

AI companies are rushing to release consumer health applications without adequate safety testing and regulatory oversight, driven by commercial competition rather than clinical readiness.

From Los Angeles Times

Older adults still require adequate protein, vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin D - especially to preserve muscle mass and prevent frailty.

From Science Daily

It also would have been one of the greatest threats to his survival, since without adequate cold weather gear, Freeman could have frozen to death.

From BBC

The Cuban people are living under dire conditions, without electricity, with little food, with garbage piled up on the streets and without adequate medical care.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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