adequate

[ ad-i-kwit ]

/ ˈæd ɪ kwɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR adequate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

as much or as good as necessary for some requirement or purpose; fully sufficient, suitable, or fit (often followed by to or for): This car is adequate to our needs. adequate food for fifty people.

barely sufficient or suitable: Being adequate is not good enough.

Law. reasonably sufficient for starting legal action: adequate grounds.

Nearby words

Origin of adequate

1610–20; < Latin adaequātus matched (past participle of adaequāre). See ad-, equal, -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR adequate

1. satisfactory, competent, sufficient, enough; capable.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR adequate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ad·e·quate·ly, adverbad·e·quate·ness, nounpre·ad·e·quate, adjectivepre·ad·e·quate·ly, adverb

pre·ad·e·quate·ness, nounqua·si-ad·e·quate, adjectivequa·si-ad·e·quate·ly, adverbsu·per·ad·e·quate, adjectivesu·per·ad·e·quate·ly, adverbsu·per·ad·e·quate·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for adequately

Regrettably, not many of them have been adequately translated.
How Clausewitz Invented Modern War|James A. Warren|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
American universities have come under censure for failing to adequately protect students from sexual and physical assault.
Don’t Blame The NFL And Colleges For Mishandling Assault Cases|Emily Shire|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“There appears to be no evidence that [Rudy] … is unable to adequately plan for care for his daughter,” he wrote.
One Breakdown Can Mean Losing Your Kid Forever|ProPublica|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some critics believe that the problem is a result of the military not adequately enforcing its own regulations.
Caught Between Military and Civilian Justice, a Battered Wife Waits and Waits for Help|Jacob Siegel|April 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I am also frustrated that the administration has not adequately consulted with Congress regarding U.S. policy towards Egypt.
Obama’s Partial Aid Suspension Unlikely to Influence Egypt|Josh Rogin|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But no one can adequately comprehend it without previously possessing adequate knowledge of the body.
The World's Greatest Books--Volume 14--Philosophy and Economics|Various
No one can adequately comprehend how such a removal would have affected the religious life of the world.
The Young People's Wesley|W. McDonald
It is but of late that the inestimable importance of political principles has been adequately apprehended.
Caleb Williams|William Godwin
As it is impossible to describe this adequately, I must again ask the reader to assist with a few comparisons.
Andersonville, Volume 2|John McElroy
"It's never been adequately described on paper," was the ready answer.
The Boy With the U. S. Survey|Francis Rolt-Wheeler

British Dictionary definitions for adequately

adequate

/ (ˈædɪkwɪt) /

adjective

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

Derived Formsadequacy (ˈædɪkwəsɪ), nounadequately, adverb

Word Origin for adequate

C17: from Latin adaequāre to equalize, from ad- to + aequus equal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for adequately

adequately

adv.

1620s, from adequate + -ly (2); originally a term in logic in reference to correspondence of ideas and objects. Meaning "suitably" is recorded from 1680s.

adequate

adj.

1610s, from Latin adaequatus "equalized," past participle of adaequare "to make equal to," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + aequare "make level," from aequus (see equal). The sense is of being "equal to what is required." Related: Adequateness.

adequate

adjective

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Origin of adequate

Examples from the Web for adequately

adequate

adjective

Word Origin for adequate

adequately

adequate