sufficient

[suh-fish-uhnt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sufficient ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

adequate for the purpose; enough: sufficient proof; sufficient protection.

Logic. (of a condition) such that its existence leads to the occurrence of a given event or the existence of a given thing.Compare necessary(def 4c).

Archaic. competent.

Nearby words

Origin of sufficient

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin sufficient- (stem of sufficiēns), present participle of sufficere to suffice, equivalent to suf- suf- + -fici-, present stem of -ficere, combining form of facere to make, do¹ + -ent- -ent

ANTONYMS FOR sufficient

1. meager, scant, inadequate.

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Related forms

suf·fi·cient·ly, adverbo·ver·suf·fi·cient, adjectiveo·ver·suf·fi·cient·ly, adverbpre·suf·fi·cient, adjective

pre·suf·fi·cient·ly, adverbqua·si-suf·fi·cient, adjectivequa·si-suf·fi·cient·ly, adverbsu·per·suf·fi·cient, adjectivesu·per·suf·fi·cient·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sufficient

“The level of outside support… has not been sufficient enough for them to distance themselves from al Nusra,” Cafarella said.
ISIS Fight Has a Spy Shortage, Intel Chair Says|Kimberly Dozier|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It's probably necessary for success in the long term, but it's far, far, far from sufficient.
U.S. Hasn’t Even Started Training Rebel Army to Fight ISIS|Tim Mak|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Suspicion of exposure to Ebola, for example, is sufficient to justify mandatory isolation.
Are Mandatory Ebola Quarantines Legal?|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whitefish, Montana, where NPI is based, is apparently not sufficient.
American Racist Richard Spencer Gets to Play the Martyr in Hungary|James Kirchick|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“There was sufficient targeting information on these guys in June,” said one senior U.S. intelligence official.
Exclusive: U.S. Special Ops Readied Syria Attack in June|Eli Lake|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But now the boiler proved to be too small to furnish steam steadily in sufficient quantity to sustain the higher speed.
A History of the Growth of the Steam-Engine|Robert H. Thurston
For a creative or interpretative genius mere existence seems to be sufficient.
The Merry-Go-Round|Carl Van Vechten
A sufficient amount of mucus or fecal matter will usually be brought away by it.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Sufficient has been said to prove the superiority of spiritual life over the whole aspects and manifestations of Nature.
An Interpretation of Rudolf Eucken's Philosophy|W. Tudor Jones
In order that sufficient instruction be furnished the Indians, five more religious are needed.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, V7, 1588-1591|Emma Helen Blair

British Dictionary definitions for sufficient

sufficient

adjective

enough to meet a need or purpose; adequate

logic (of a condition) assuring the truth of a statement; requiring but not necessarily required by some other state of affairsCompare necessary (def. 3e)

archaic competent; capable

noun

a sufficient quantity

Derived Formssufficiently, adverb

Word Origin for sufficient

C14: from Latin sufficiens supplying the needs of, from sufficere to suffice

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

Word Origin and History for sufficient

sufficient

adj.

early 14c., from Old French sufficient, from Latin sufficiens, present participle of sufficere (see suffice).

sufficient

adjective

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Origin of sufficient

Examples from the Web for sufficient

sufficient

adjective

noun

Word Origin for sufficient

sufficient