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What did Captain James Cook provide to ensure sailors would have adequate amounts of vitamin C?

Test Your Knowledge

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  

/ ˈædɪkwɪt /

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

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

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Etymology

Origin of adequate

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

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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

See Examples For:

adequate

For now, established strategies such as resistance exercise and adequate protein intake remain important for protecting muscle during weight reduction.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

However, its winter outlook report comes after an independent investigation found engineers had "high levels of stress and concern" about their ability to ensure adequate supply due to differences between renewable and gas-fired power generation.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

If you can afford to pay off the mortgage without leaving yourselves short of an adequate emergency reserve, I wouldn’t dismiss that choice completely just because it isn’t mathematically optimal on paper.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

“That means safe and accessible sidewalks, shaded waiting areas, reliable connections, adequate parking for residents and businesses, sufficient lighting, and clean and safe stations.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

As it turned out, Enstice had a history of prematurely and incorrectly declaring deaths to be homicides without adequate supporting evidence.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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Related Words

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

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