adequate

adjective

ad·​e·​quate ˈa-di-kwət 

1

: sufficient for a specific need or requirement

adequate time

an amount of money adequate to supply their needs

also : good enough : of a quality that is good or acceptable

a machine that does an adequate job

: of a quality that is acceptable but not better than acceptable

Her first performance was merely adequate.

2

: lawfully and reasonably sufficient

adequate grounds for a lawsuit

adequateness noun

Synonyms of adequate

• decent
• satisfactory
• good
• fine
• acceptable

Choose the Right Synonym for adequate

sufficient, enough, adequate, competent mean being what is necessary or desirable.

sufficient suggests a close meeting of a need.

sufficient savings

enough is less exact in suggestion than sufficient.

do you have enough food?

adequate may imply barely meeting a requirement.

the service was adequate

competent suggests measuring up to all requirements without question or being adequately adapted to an end.

had no competent notion of what was going on

Examples of adequate in a Sentence

Then, during the spring and summer, allow adequate recovery by taking one or two days off the bike each week and scaling back the intensity of your rides one week out of every month. —Selene Yeager, Bicycling, January/February 2008

… they are adequate for almost any computing need. —Michael Meyer, Newsweek, 26 Oct. 1998

… the government would have to bail out any bidder with less adequate resources … —The Economist, 30 Aug.-5 Sept. 1986

The garden hasn't been getting adequate water.

The food was more than adequate for the six of us.

The school lunch should be adequate to meet the nutritional needs of growing children.

The machine does an adequate job.

The tent should provide adequate protection from the elements.

The quality of his work was perfectly adequate.

Your grades are adequate but I think you can do better.

The quality of his work was only adequate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Blood center officials say this time of the year presents unique challenges to maintaining an adequate supply. —Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

Not all accessories are functionally adequate enough to attain the status of a capsule-worthy piece, but then again, no other item’s addition can single-handedly make any outfit more appropriate for a frigid January day like that of a statement scarf. —Jasmine Fox-Suliaman, InStyle, 21 Jan. 2026

New York State now has six months to develop a plan to comply with a recent class action settlement addressing the lack of adequate mental health services for confined youth. —Gladys Carrión, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026

Key steps include selecting a suitable container, ensuring adequate light for seed germination, maintaining proper moisture levels, and hardening off seedlings before transplanting them outside. —Kerry Michaels, The Spruce, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin adaequātus, past participle of adaequāre "to equalize, put on an equal footing," from ad- ad- + aequāre "to make level, equalize" — more at equate

First Known Use

circa 1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for adequate

• inadequate

Kids Definition

adequate

adjective

ad·​e·​quate ˈad-i-kwət 

1

: suitable or enough for a requirement

food and water adequate for six people

2

: good enough

your grades are barely adequate

adequately adverb

adequateness noun

Legal Definition

adequate

adjective

ad·​e·​quate

: lawfully and reasonably sufficient

adequate grounds for a lawsuit