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

There was insufficient lightning in the walk-in refrigerator. —Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025

Management later confirmed the closures, citing power and gas shortages, as well as insufficient purchase orders. —Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 2 Oct. 2025

Failure to rapidly reopen the government could result in State WIC directors being put in the horrible position of trying to manage their programs with insufficient funds. —Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2025

His office has prosecuted more than 204 prison offenses since 2021, despite insufficient resources and policies that prevent evidence gathering. —Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 2 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