sufficient

adjective

suf·fi·cient | \ sə-ˈfi-shənt

Definition of sufficient

1a : enough to meet the needs of a situation or a proposed end sufficient provisions for a month

b : being a sufficient condition

2 archaic : qualified, competent

Other Words from sufficient Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about sufficient

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Choose the Right Synonym for sufficient

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 sufficient in a Sentence

Considering that John Adams was notoriously insecure about his own place in history, he surely would have enjoyed his current renown. He and Abigail get pride of place in the family crypt, down a winding staircase in the church basement. On her plaque in the crypt, she is described as a "model of domestic worth," as though she were a particularly charming chifforobe, and not a woman who survived a troubled marriage with sufficient courage that both houses of Congress adjourned upon hearing of her death. — Charles P. Pierce, Boston Globe Magazine, 26 July 2009 Because canines are, for the most part, unable to naturally manufacture sufficient vitamins to meet their daily requirements, a dog's routinely consumed meals, with some exceptions, must be augmented with them during the manufacturing process. — Tom Ewing, Dog Watch, February 2009 And since this policy is usually accompanied by a pledge to provide sufficient scholarship funds to admitted applicants who cannot afford the full cost (around $45,000 in the Ivy League today), it is an expensive policy. — Andrew Delbanco, New York Review of Books, 29 Mar. 2007 The result was a magnificent example of evidence overkill—the first set of prints alone was sufficient to match the gangbanger to a set in the national Automated Fingerprint Identification System database. — Jessica Snyder Sachs, Popular Science, March 2004 A brisk walk is sufficient to raise your heart rate. There must be sufficient funds in your bank account to cover the check. Her explanation was not sufficient to satisfy the police.

Recent Examples on the Web

But Judge Siraj Desai, who sentenced van Breda in May, said on Monday that the defense had not presented sufficient reasons for an appeal to proceed, according to news outlet News24. — Krista Mahr, The Seattle Times, "South African man denied appeal on ax-murder convictions," 20 Aug. 2018 While there has been a push to create a more inclusive historical narrative, simply peppering in a woman here and there in a textbook is not sufficient. — Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, "What Did Historical Feminist Icons Eat for Dinner?," 30 July 2018 But there's sufficient reason to believe this leak is authentic. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Fortnite among the Switch ports reportedly coming to E3," 1 June 2018 But the margins weren’t sufficient to override his Friday veto. — Elizabeth Goitein, WSJ, "Congress Considers Taking Back Its Power," 17 Mar. 2019 Ninety-six percent of rated companies in EMEA have sufficient liquidity over a 12-month period, according to Moody’s. — Nina Trentmann, WSJ, "U.K. Companies Risk Ratings Downgrades in Case of No-Deal Brexit," 28 Feb. 2019 But the opioid epidemic has crossed all boundaries, and even in the suburbs, there's not sufficient treatment or support. — Andy Marso, kansascity, "Overdoses, prison, scant treatment: Mother's story shows state of KC’s opioid crisis," 26 June 2018 Napolitano talked at length about school overcrowding, and claimed there was already sufficient rental housing in the area around GlenStar’s land. — Maya Dukmasova, Chicago Reader, "News / Housing Lost battle on affordable housing means war on aldermanic prerogative will continue," 26 June 2018 Fennell said the plane failed to gain sufficient airspeed after take off. — Maria Elena Vizcaino, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Plane falls into ditch at Orlando Executive Airport," 25 June 2018

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

History and Etymology for sufficient

Middle English sufficiant, sufficient, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French suffisant, sufficient, in part from present participle of suffire "to suffice," in part borrowed from Latin sufficient-, sufficiens, from present participle of sufficere "to have enough strength or capacity, be adequate" — more at suffice

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