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 ); see 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

In March, Antonelli—who is now a perfectly adequate 5 feet 8 inches tall—became the first Italian driver to win a Grand Prix race in two decades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

When people can’t afford a visit to a primary-care doctor or they lack adequate health insurance, they end up in emergency rooms.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

He said the government had ensured that vulnerable customer registers were being maintained with energy suppliers and arrangements were in place that were adequate for those customers.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

All results came back negative but early assessments indicated the birds had not received adequate care, according to authorities.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Cape Cod was an adequate place for Swift to start.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Related Words

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