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 of insufficient

• 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

Private companies deliver more than 60% of the healthcare services available in Nigeria to serve its 220 million people, but supply remains insufficient. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026

In a blog post released Wednesday, OpenAI’s head of global affairs, Chris Lehane, agreed that the status quo is insufficient. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026

In the event that Reddington is able to convince the judge that the evidence was insufficient, Clancy would not be declared not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility; she would simply be declared not guilty, explains Braccia. — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2026

Another person with the same balance and interest rate may need to preserve liquidity because of unstable income, an approaching expense or insufficient cash reserves. — Dr. Melissa Weathersby, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026

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