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
They involve the slipperiness of truth and the crushing inadequacy of our mental-health system and social safety net.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
A report released recently by IGNES, a French trade alliance, warns of “a massive inadequacy of housing to cope with high temperatures.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
And it’s all a result of his feelings of inadequacy, a fail-son’s greatest flaw.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
When I called around to various economists in the summer of 2000 and complained about the inadequacy of the wages available to entry-level workers, this was their first response: “But wages are going up!”
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Tenor Ryan Bryce Johnson displayed comic flair as Neal, who covers his inadequacies with tall tales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 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
Experts say such initiatives are important but do not address the bigger structural inadequacies at Kiteezi.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2025
But it doesn’t work, and the worst part is that Father and Mother don’t realize their own inadequacies and how much I blame them for letting me down.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
