deficiency

Obsolete, deficience

[dih-fish-uhn-see]

noun

plural

deficiencies 

1. the state of being deficient; lack; incompleteness; insufficiency.

   Synonyms: scarcity, paucity, inadequacy, shortage

2. the amount lacked; a deficit.

deficiency

/ dɪˈfɪʃənsɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being deficient

2. a lack or insufficiency; shortage

3. another word for deficit

4. biology the absence of a gene or a region of a chromosome normally present

Other Word Forms

• nondeficiency noun
• predeficiency noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deficiency¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin dēficientia, Latin dēficient- (stem of dēficiēns ); deficient, -ency

Example Sentences

"The challenge has been to devise a more benign pre-treatment process, diminishing risk to the point that patients suffering from an autoimmune deficiency that may not be immediately life-threatening would feel comfortable undergoing the treatment."

Read more on Science Daily

It comes as the BBC has found that soaring numbers of people are arriving at hospital either malnourished or with nutrient deficiencies.

Read more on BBC

On Tuesday, Johnson voted in favor of the resolution while saying he still had concerns about serious deficiencies in the bill.

Read more on Salon

In these and other parables, Jesus points us to the deficiency of our anthropocentric conception of fairness, directing our attention to something deeper about God’s love.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

D’Egidio has led the effort to reduce the firm’s U.S. auditing deficiencies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dearth 
• defect 
• failing 
• failure 
• fault 
• flaw 
• frailty 
• glitch 
• insufficiency 
• lack 
• scarcity 
• shortage 
• shortcoming 
• weakness