inadequate
Americanadjective
-
not good enough for the purpose; inept or unsuitable.
This old tent they gave us is completely inadequate—it’s equally bad at keeping out both the rain and the bugs!
- Synonyms:
- imperfect, defective, incommensurate, incompetent, inapt, incomplete
- Antonyms:
- sufficient
-
not sufficient for the purpose; not enough.
The set of linens we received was so inadequate, we were asking friends for a loan of napkins and tablecloths.
-
Psychiatry. ineffectual in response to emotional, social, intellectual, and physical demands in the absence of any obvious mental or physical deficiency.
adjective
-
not adequate; insufficient
-
not capable or competent; lacking
Other Word Forms
- inadequacy noun
- inadequately adverb
Etymology
Origin of inadequate
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.
The word felt inadequate, but I meant it with my whole heart.
From Literature
It is understood the club have privately acknowledged their communication to supporters before the City game was inadequate.
From BBC
The Unite union said workers lacked kit such as restraints, had inadequate first aid training and no risk assessments.
From BBC
Current Archbishop Cherry Vann said: "The review shows in painful detail the missed opportunities, the harmful assumptions and the inadequate processes which characterised the Church's response to these allegations."
From BBC
But US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was harshly critical, saying that it showed that "existing WTO rules are inadequate to address massive and harmful excess capacity in numerous sectors, including in energy technology".
From Barron's
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.
