data deficient

American

[dey-tuh di-fish-uhnt, dat-uh, dah-tuh] / ˈdeɪ tə dɪˌfɪʃ ənt, ˈdæt ə, ˈdɑ tə /

adjective

Biology, Ecology.

(of a plant or animal species) lacking a properly assessed conservation status due to insufficient information on population and distribution, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: DD

We are tracking the populations of data deficient fishes and mollusks.

Etymology

Origin of data deficient

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Currently, about one in seven species are classified as data deficient by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

From Science Daily • Oct. 26, 2023

But more than 20,000 species are classified as data deficient.

From The Verge • Aug. 4, 2022

They trained an algorithm to predict the extinction risk of data deficient species.

From The Verge • Aug. 4, 2022

But the numbers of many data deficient species and sub-species continue to dwindle – and how do you save a species if it hasn’t even been recognised?

From The Guardian • Nov. 5, 2020

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists the viper dogfish as "data deficient" because so little is known about their populations.

From National Geographic • Jan. 11, 2018

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023