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

• lacking
• inadequate
• scarce
• low

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

On both points, Kennedy argued that the publicly available data was insufficient. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2025

These were nearly always approved, even though the agency wrote that finances were an insufficient explanation in a presentation on the permitting process. —ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025

Despite offering industry-leading compensation, the tech giants face talent defections, creating both direct costs and competitive disadvantages, suggesting traditional retention strategies may be insufficient for managing concentration risk at these levels. —Sabeer Nelliparamban, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence and moved to dismiss the case. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for insufficient

• beneficent
• coefficient
• inefficient
• deficient
• efficient
• omniscient
• proficient
• sufficient

Kids Definition

insufficient

adjective

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

: not sufficient : inadequate

insufficiently adverb