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
Etymology
Origin of inadequate
Explanation
Something inadequate doesn't cut it. If you lack just a few centimeters to reach the low mark on the wooden sign, your height is inadequate for riding the big roller coaster. Wear heels next time. The Latin root of adequate means "equal to," so inadequate refers to things that aren't equal to what is expected or needed. Something can be naturally inadequate, as in "inadequate rainfall to stop the fire," or it can result from lack of effort, as when someone avoids a question: "Your response was totally inadequate. Tell me what really happened."
Vocabulary lists containing inadequate
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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.
But she said the testing done so far had been "inadequate".
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Four months later, he dismissed the case, saying it was inadequate in all respects.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
Persistent heat or inadequate rainfall during coffee’s flowering period and its subsequent development might threaten production, said Jim Roemer, a commodity trading advisor who writes the Weather Wealth newsletter.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Researchers suspect this could contribute to a self-reinforcing cycle in which Alzheimer's pathology disturbs sleep, and inadequate sleep may further aggravate the disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
On the cusp of World War I, the country’s inadequate supply of aircraft had given birth to the NACA.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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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.
