deficient

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adjective de·fi·cient \ di-ˈfi-shənt \

Definition of deficient

1 :lacking in some necessary quality or element

deficient in judgment

bones deficient in calcium

2 :not up to a normal standard or complement (see ¹complement 1b) :defective

deficient strength

… rusted and aging pipes … abetted by deficient maintenance and sabotage.
—Adam Nossiter

—

deficiently

adverb

See deficient defined for English-language learners

See deficient defined for kids

Examples of deficient in a Sentence

Several bridges in the city are structurally deficient.
a diet deficient in calcium can lead to weak bones

Recent Examples of deficient from the Web

The Cubs, however, have been deficient against right-handers.

— mark gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Cubs trade reinforces faith in Kyle Schwarber, fellow MLB youngsters," 13 July 2017
The percentage of bridges that are structurally deficient has declined from 24.1% in 1990 to 9.6% in 2015.

— steve ballmer, Time, "Steve Ballmer: 5 Facts About the U.S. Government That Blew My Mind," 12 July 2017
Hopkins estimates about 4 percent of cancers are mismatch repair-deficient, potentially adding up to 60,000 patients a year.

— lauran neergaard, The Seattle Times, "Tumor gene testing urged to tell if drug targets your cancer," 6 July 2017
Dillin and colleagues found that not only did the brown fat ramp up its activity in the smell-deficient animals, but some of their white fat also became more like brown fat.

— mitch leslie, Science | AAAS, "Mice shed weight when they can’t smell—but not because they stop eating," 5 July 2017
Lead author Laura Gryder, a former UNLV graduate student, says these findings are important because some iron-deficient women may rely on placenta pills as their only non-food source of the mineral.

— amanda macmillan, Health.com, "Placenta Pills Probably Made This Baby Sick, Doctors Say," 30 June 2017
The disgusted strangers, for example, could be indicting themselves as ignorant or presumptuous vs. indicting you as deficient.

— carolyn hax, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Don't take sister's choice as verdict on your mothering skills," 24 June 2017
Instead Rabb returned to school and averaged a double-double, albeit for a talent-deficient Cal squad.

— brendan marks, SI.com, "College basketball lost star power in draft, but it is not left barren," 23 June 2017
In Darkness Pakistan for years has struggled with a deficient power industry, holding back the economy and leaving residents and industry in the dark.

— chris kay, Bloomberg.com, "Amid Critical Blackouts, Pakistan Races to Fix Power Network," 21 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deficient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of deficient

Latin deficient-, deficiens, present participle of deficere to be wanting — more at defect

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First Known Use: 1581

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deficient Synonyms

Synonyms

incomplete, fragmental, fragmentary, half, halfway, partial

Antonyms

complete, entire, full, intact, integral, perfect, whole

Related Words

broken, damaged, flawed, impaired, imperfect, injured, marred, spoiled; sketchy, unassembled, uncompleted, unfinished

Near Antonyms

flawless, unbroken, undamaged, unimpaired, uninjured, unmarred; completed, finished

deficient

noun

Definition of deficient

:a person or thing that is deficient

a mental deficient

Recent Examples of deficient from the Web

But rising home prices are bailing out large numbers of the equity deficient: their number is down by more than 1.2 million in the last 12 months.

— kenneth r. harney, miamiherald, "Which U.S. neighborhood has homeowners with the most equity? Answer may surprise you," 22 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of deficient

see ¹deficient

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First Known Use: 1906

See Words from the same year

DEFICIENT Defined for English Language Learners

deficient

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adjective

Definition of deficient for English Language Learners

: not having enough of something that is important or necessary
: not good enough : not as good as others

DEFICIENT Defined for Kids

deficient

play

adjective de·fi·cient \ di-ˈfi-shənt \

Definition of deficient for Students

:lacking something necessary for completeness or health

Her diet is deficient in proteins.

Medical Dictionary

deficient

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adjective de·fi·cient \ di-ˈfish-ənt \

medical Definition of deficient

1 :lacking in some necessary quality or element

a deficient diet

2 :not up to a normal standard or complement

deficient strength

3 :having, relating to, or characterized by a genetic deletion

deficient

noun

medical Definition of deficient

:one that is deficient

a mental deficient

Learn More about deficient

See words that rhyme with deficient Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for deficient Spanish Central: Translation of deficient Nglish: Translation of deficient for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of deficient for Arabic speakers

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deficient

Definition of deficient

deficiently

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Examples of deficient in a Sentence

Recent Examples of deficient from the Web

Origin and Etymology of deficient

deficient Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

deficient

Definition of deficient

Recent Examples of deficient from the Web

Origin and Etymology of deficient

DEFICIENT Defined for English Language Learners

deficient

Definition of deficient for English Language Learners

DEFICIENT Defined for Kids

deficient

Definition of deficient for Students

Medical Dictionary

deficient

medical Definition of deficient

deficient

medical Definition of deficient

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