insufficient
Americanadjective
-
not sufficient; lacking in what is necessary or required.
an insufficient answer.
- Synonyms:
- deficient, scanty, inadequate
-
deficient in force, quality, or amount; inadequate.
insufficient protection.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- insufficiently adverb
Etymology
Origin of insufficient
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin insufficient-, stem of insufficiēns; equivalent to in- 3 + sufficient
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.
However, analysts say the amount of oil involved in the brief sanction reprieve is insufficient to meaningfully ease the supply fears in the Persian Gulf that have seized global markets for the past two weeks.
From MarketWatch
Individuals all over the country were fired from their jobs, shunned, ostracized and run out of town for insufficient reverence for Kirk on social media.
From Salon
The International Energy Agency will release 400 million barrels from emergency stocks, but the market perceives it as insufficient.
They believe, in particular, that the existing rules are insufficient for regulating China's hybrid economic model, which combines market forces and state intervention.
From Barron's
“Strategic stocks by themselves will be insufficient to prevent further price rises if navigation on the Strait remains heavily restricted for an extended period.”
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.
