insufficient

[ in-suh-fish-uhnt ]
See synonyms for: insufficientinsufficiently on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. not sufficient; lacking in what is necessary or required: an insufficient answer.

  2. deficient in force, quality, or amount; inadequate: insufficient protection.

Origin of insufficient

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin insufficient-, stem of insufficiēns; equivalent to in-3 + sufficient

Other words for insufficient

Other words from insufficient

  • in·suf·fi·cient·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use insufficient in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for insufficient

insufficient

/ (ˌɪnsəˈfɪʃənt) /


adjective
  1. not sufficient; inadequate or deficient

Derived forms of insufficient

  • insufficiently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012