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

Explanation

When you want to say that something is enough or good enough for a particular need, use the adjective adequate. You might have an adequate amount of flour for a batch of pancakes, but not a lot extra. Adequate can also describe something that is acceptable or satisfactory, but not any better than that. You might say that a student's grades are adequate but need improvement. This word is from Latin adaequāre"to make equal," from the prefix ad- plus aequare "to equal."

Example Sentences

He reasoned that the FDA didn’t have adequate data about adverse events or the safety of telehealth when writing the current rules on mifepristone.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

To explain, let’s begin by noting that it is surprisingly difficult to give an adequate definition of lying.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

Part of their job is to determine whether an insurance company is maintaining an adequate financial cushion based on the risk level of the investments it holds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

“We are advocating for more appropriate funding to ensure adequate access as well as the stability and sustainability of a program relied on by more than half of the seniors in this country.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

None of this is adequate, but it’s all I can manage.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

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