inadequacy
Americannoun
-
inadequacies
plural
-
Also inadequateness the state or condition of being inadequate; insufficiency.
-
something inadequate; defect.
The plan has many inadequacies.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of inadequacy
First recorded in 1780–90; inadequ(ate) + -acy
Explanation
An inadequacy is something that is not enough. If you get a bad grade, it may reveal an inadequacy in your approach to studying. The syllable qua in inadequacy rhymes with duh, and the accent is on the second syllable: "in-AD-uh-quh-see." You know that in- means "not," and the suffix y means "the quality or state of." But what is that middle part? Adaequare is the Latin word for "to make equal." So, inadequacy is the state of not being equal — or enough — for something.
Vocabulary lists containing inadequacy
Novel Study: Freedom Walkers
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Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) Tribute List
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Vocabulary Review, Unit 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Being put on a PIP by someone who used to be your equal probably stirs up feelings of inadequacy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
She dissects those feelings of inadequacy with pitch-black humour on In My Room.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Unsurprisingly, the Bazar incurred huge losses—due to “overstaffing, failure of management, inadequacy of working capital, and a lack of competitive approach on the part of the management,” a government report concluded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff decried the inadequacy of medical care, low staffing and reports of moldy food and foul drinking water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026
It was not the inadequacy of the machine but the Rad Lab’s inattention and its narrow focus that prevented the lab from winning credit for them.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
“Marilyn’s reading formed a concerted effort to overcome any inadequacies she perceived in herself,” Crowther writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
States that agreed to it would provide voter lists to the Justice Department, which would then look for any “insufficiencies, inadequacies, deficiencies, anomalies, or concerns.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
But in practice, it has often led to long environmental reports, studies and reviews, that are sometimes followed by lawsuits over possible inadequacies that can require a restart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025
The review said that most of these problems result from "inadequacies" in the way the agency plans and makes decisions.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2025
I began to see that by my astonishing growth I had made them shrink and emphasized their inadequacies.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
