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.
But the investigation, which began in 2016, was closed in 2019 after the Crown Prosecution Service deemed there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.
From BBC
The DOJ routinely declines to prosecute cases for any number of reasons, including insufficient evidence or because a case is not a priority for enforcement.
From Salon
If existing global trading rules are insufficient for a challenge of this magnitude, everyone from policymakers to corporate executives has to ask what the middle ground actually looks like.
As first reported by the Mirror, the investigation which began in 2016 was dropped in 2019 after the CPS deemed there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.
From BBC
Possible breaches included providing "insufficient measures to prevent new under 16 accounts being created".
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.
