adequate

[ ad-i-kwit ]

adjective

1. 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.

   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

/ ˈædɪkwɪt; ˈædɪkwəsɪ /

adjective

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

Derived Forms

• ˈadequately, adverb
• adequacy, noun

Other Words From

• ad·e·quate·ly adverb
• ad·e·quate·ness noun
• pre·ad·e·quate adjective
• pre·ad·e·quate·ness noun
• qua·si-ad·e·quate adjective
• su·per·ad·e·quate adjective
• su·per·ad·e·quate·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of adequate¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of adequate¹

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

Example Sentences

Without adequate knowledge of analytics, your marketing won’t work because you won’t know what worked and what didn’t work.

From Search Engine Watch

Three trim levels are all powered by a new four-cylinder, 149-hp engine that is adequate—but not exactly thrilling.

From Washington Blade

The three years that had elapsed since Stewart first came forward made it impossible to mount an adequate defense, he argued.

From ProPublica

He also said inspectors lack adequate personal protective equipment for increased facility visits.

From Voice of San Diego

Those studies are either planned or ongoing, though recruiting adequate numbers of people has been challenging.

From Science News

“The government failed to show that it had adequate basis for the certification,” he wrote in August.

From The Daily Beast

“I spent about a year criticizing Hillary Clinton for not providing adequate security for Benghazi,” he recalled.

From The Daily Beast

But two years after that, UFW walked away from its negotiations with Gerawan, unable to muster adequate worker support.

From The Daily Beast

“As long as they have an adequate body weight, most women will ovulate just fine, even on marathon weekend,” he says.

From The Daily Beast

The airline industry has failed to give an adequate answer to that.

From The Daily Beast

Judged from this point of view only, the elasticity provided by the new law is doubtless adequate.

From Project Gutenberg

First, how about the expansibility needed to supply adequate funds for crop-moving?

From Project Gutenberg

Adequate conception of the extent, the variety, the excellence of the works of Art here heaped together is impossible.

From Project Gutenberg

In one sense, then, the new issue has adequate expansibility for ordinary needs.

From Project Gutenberg

Outsiders lack adequate motives for sending the notes home; issuers lack adequate motives for calling them home.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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