Synonyms for insufficient
- adjective
Most common
All synonyms
Adjective
1. Inadequate — not sufficient; of a type or kind that does not suffice, that does not satisfy requirements or needs
inadequate, deficient, poor, lacking, unsatisfactory, scant, ineffective, scanty, scarce, short, defective, sparse, incompetent, ineffectual, skimpy, thin, sorry, lean, slender, lank, shy informal, unsufficient
Other
Definitions
- adj. 1
Not sufficient; of a type or kind that does not suffice, that does not satisfy requirements or needs.
It is a necessary condition but an insufficient one.
Example sentences
- lacking The service is slow because they're lacking staff.
- inadequate At times like this, words are woefully inadequate.
- deficient English is a very deficient language in this area.
- unsatisfactory Enrico’s performance in the army is unsatisfactory.
- unequal South Africa is the most unequal nation on Earth.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| insufficient | falling | |
| lacking | steady | |
| inadequate | falling | |
| deficient | falling | |
| unsatisfactory | falling | |
| unequal | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- shy1
- 4 letters
- poor1, thin1, lean1, lank1
- 5 letters
- short1, sorry2, scant1
- 6 letters
- scarce1, sparse1, skimpy2, scanty2
- 7 letters
- lacking2, slender2, unequal3
- 9 letters
- defective3, deficient3
- 10 letters
- inadequate4
- 11 letters
- ineffective4, incompetent4, ineffectual5
- 12 letters
- unsufficient
- 14 letters
- unsatisfactory6, incommensurate
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (sorry2 = 2 syllables).