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

The number is increasing and the resources are insufficient to meet the demand. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024

The company expects its current cash resources to be insufficient for the next 12 months. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

But human feedback may soon be insufficient to ensure the accuracy of a system. —Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024

Danny Sorrell, the agency's executive director, highlighted in a recent letter that the current budget request of $226 million was insufficient to address the environmental risks posed by increasingly frequent well blowouts. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 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