sufficient

adjective

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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

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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 Construction hasn’t started yet as the company tries to secure sufficient financing. — Morgan Watkins, The Courier-Journal, "Braidy Industries founder Craig Bouchard sues company after being ousted," 18 Feb. 2020 Sadly, federal law currently lacks sufficient legal protections for children who survive abortions. — Russell D. Moore, National Review, "A Law to Protect Abortion Survivors Shouldn’t Be Necessary, but It Is," 14 Feb. 2020 Chapel Hill Mall has been threatened with water and electricity shut-offs multiple times in the past year, each avoided when Kohan made sufficient payments on the overdue bills. — Robin Goist, cleveland, "Owner of Akron’s struggling Chapel Hill Mall buys Ashtabula mall for $10.2 million," 14 Feb. 2020 The ship had sufficient fuel and food provisions to last until the end of the voyage, according to a Holland America Line blog post. — Natnicha Chuwiruch, Fortune, "Carnival ship rejected by 5 ports has finally made it into one. Now a new cruise controversy is brewing," 13 Feb. 2020 If there is community-level transmission in India, the resulting societal disruption will be immense, unless the government takes sufficient measures, and be ready for any eventuality in the coming months. — Oommen C. Kurian, Quartz India, "How an Indian state successfully fought and contained the deadly coronavirus," 13 Feb. 2020 At sufficient volume, the entire rear end falls into vibratory ecstasy. — Daniel Pund, Car and Driver, "Mustang Shelby GT500 vs. Camaro ZL1 1LE vs. Challenger Hellcat Redeye," 12 Feb. 2020 The commission’s earlier, preliminary view was that there was sufficient competition, but that could change as Apple Pay uptake increases. — John Detrixhe, Quartz, "Apple Pay is on pace to account for 10% of all global card transactions," 11 Feb. 2020 Mike Cox, legislative director of the Texas State Rifle Association, argued that red flag laws lack sufficient due process and don’t connect people with mental health resources. — Peggy O’hare, ExpressNews.com, "Slain child’s family pushes for stronger gun laws on her 12th birthday," 11 Feb. 2020

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.