deficient

[dih-fish-uhnt]

adjective

1. lacking some element or characteristic; defective.

   deficient in taste.

2. insufficient; inadequate.

   deficient knowledge.

noun

1. a person who is deficient, especially one who is mentally defective.

deficient

/ dɪˈfɪʃənt /

adjective

1. lacking some essential; incomplete; defective

2. inadequate in quantity or supply; insufficient

Other Word Forms

• deficiently adverb
• nondeficient adjective
• nondeficiently adverb
• predeficient adjective
• predeficiently adverb
• undeficient adjective
• undeficiently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of deficient¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin dēficient-, stem of dēficiēns “failing,” present participle of dēficere “to fail, run short, lack, weaken,” from dē- de- + ficere, combining form of facere “to do, make” ( do ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of deficient¹

C16: from Latin dēficiēns lacking, from dēficere to fall short; see _defect

Example Sentences

In a letter to Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, it stated the bill is "manifestly deficient" and contains "almost no protections beyond those which already exist".

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At California City Detention Facility, immigrants file lawsuit over alleged ‘shockingly deficient’ medical care, frigid temperatures, bugs crawling on walls, sewage backups, inadequate food and water, and generally ‘decrepit’ conditions.

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Many people in the UK remain deficient in Vitamin D and Professor Tregoning suggests that winter sunlight and getting outdoors can help.

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“Humans don’t get to speak in my presence. Especially deficient ones.”

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And in 2021, Laws again breached industry regulations by calling a listener "mentally deficient" and asking them to "say something constructive, like you're going to kill yourself".

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Related Words

• defective 
• faulty 
• flawed 
• impaired 
• incomplete 
• inferior 
• insufficient 
• lacking 
• scarce 
• skimpy 
• unsatisfactory 
• weak