sufficient
Americanadjective
-
adequate for the purpose; enough.
sufficient proof;
sufficient protection.
- Antonyms:
- inadequate, scant, meager
-
Logic. (of a condition) such that its existence leads to the occurrence of a given event or the existence of a given thing.
-
Archaic. competent.
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 affairs Compare necessary
-
archaic competent; capable
noun
Other Word Forms
- oversufficient adjective
- oversufficiently adverb
- presufficient adjective
- presufficiently adverb
- quasi-sufficient adjective
- quasi-sufficiently adverb
- sufficiently adverb
- supersufficient adjective
- supersufficiently adverb
Etymology
Origin of sufficient
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin sufficient-, stem of sufficiēns “supplying,” present participle of sufficere “to supply, suffice,” equivalent to suf- suf- + -ficere, combining form of facere “to do, make”; suffice
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.
Alito, however, might as well have been describing Brown, whose unlawful presence—obviously subject to arrest—was sufficient to bring him within allegiance to Virginia.
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026
Birol said that the IEA’s agreed release of oil would not be sufficient to tackle current constraints.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
Until now, a valid birth certificate had been sufficient to establish a person’s U.S. citizenship.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Roughly 1.1 million barrels per day of imports are at risk, according to JPMorgan, but inventories remain sufficient to bridge the gap in the near term.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
I was glad to give her a sufficient sum to set her up in a good line of business, and so get decently rid of her.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
