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deficient

[ dih-fish-uhnt ]
/ dɪˈfɪʃ ənt /
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adjective
lacking some element or characteristic; defective: deficient in taste.
insufficient; inadequate: deficient knowledge.
noun
a person who is deficient, especially one who is mentally defective.
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Origin of deficient

1575–85; <Latin dēficient- (stem of dēficiēns, present participle of dēficere to fail, run short, lack, weaken), equivalent to dē-de- + fic-, combining form of facere to make, do1 + thematic -i- + -ent--ent

OTHER WORDS FROM deficient

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use deficient in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deficient

deficient
/ (dɪˈfɪʃənt) /

adjective
lacking some essential; incomplete; defective
inadequate in quantity or supply; insufficient

Derived forms of deficient

deficiently, adverb

Word Origin for deficient

C16: from Latin dēficiēns lacking, from dēficere to fall short; see defect
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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