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

Again, officials at the Department of Public Instruction cited insufficient evidence to revoke Hanson’s teaching license. —Danielle Duclos, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Mahomes and the Chiefs left just 37 seconds on the clock, insufficient time for the Lions to answer before halftime. —Kansas City Star, 13 Oct. 2025

Layoffs would only begin if attrition and departure incentives were insufficient to reduce the size of the workforce. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 13 Oct. 2025

While Gandy played twice in the state of California during his three seasons with the Falcons, there’s an insufficient linkage between the Falcons and California for purposes of workers’ comp coverage. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 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