insufficient

adjective

in·​suf·​fi·​cient ˌin(t)-sə-ˈfi-shənt 

: not sufficient : inadequate

insufficient funds

especially : lacking adequate power, capacity, or competence

insufficient bandwidth

insufficiently adverb

Synonyms

• deficient
• inadequate
• lacking
• low
• scarce
• short
• shy
• wanting

Examples of insufficient in a Sentence

The case was thrown out because of insufficient evidence.

there's been an insufficient number of volunteers for the job, so I'll have to select someone

Recent Examples on the Web

So far this fall, Milwaukee DNS has seen a 35% increase in complaints from last year about landlords providing no heat or insufficient heat, WITI-TV (Channel 6) and WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) reported. —Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 8 Dec. 2024

Some of the complaints that were filed in the aftermath of that election have been dismissed due to insufficient evidence or a lack of cooperation from witnesses. —Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 6 Dec. 2024

This type of real estate transaction, known as a sale-leaseback, focuses on homeowners who struggle to get traditional loans due to bad credit or insufficient income. —Caitlin Thompson, NPR, 6 Dec. 2024

In the previous tournament format, nine points from six matches were insufficient for Shakhtar Donetsk to escape Group H in 2023/24. —Henry Flynn, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin insufficient-, insufficiens, from Latin in- + sufficient-, sufficiens sufficient

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

insufficient

adjective

in·​suf·​fi·​cient ˌin(t)-sə-ˈfish-ənt 

: not sufficient : inadequate

insufficiently adverb