sufficient

adjective suf·fi·cient \ sə-ˈfi-shənt \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

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Examples: sufficient in a Sentence

Definition of sufficient

1 a : 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

—

sufficiently

adverb

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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 of sufficient from the Web

The Journal used ratios of income to net assets provided by the Boston College Center for Retirement Research to estimate whether a person's savings, in combination with Social Security, would be sufficient.

— rachel bachman, WSJ, "For Athletes, It’s Double Trouble to Plan for Retirement," 5 July 2018
The fertility industry has argued this is sufficient.

— ariana eunjung cha, Washington Post, "Embryo storage bill seeks oversight of fertility centers and penalties for those that violate safeguards," 5 July 2018
Chicago Bishop Jeffrey Lee and other advocates of keeping the current prayer book say these alternate service materials are sufficient, for now, for priests who want the option of gender-neutral texts.

— julie zauzmer, BostonGlobe.com, "Is God male? The Episcopal Church debates whether to change its Book of Common Prayer.," 3 July 2018
Lee and other advocates of keeping the current prayer book say these alternate service materials are sufficient, for now, for priests who want the option of gender-neutral texts.

— julie zauzmer, The Seattle Times, "Episcopal Church debates gendered language for God," 3 July 2018
More: Texans training camp questions: All eyes on Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt Is the receiving corps sufficient?

— jason wolf, USA TODAY, "Titans training camp questions: What can Mike Vrabel, new staff do for Marcus Mariota?," 21 June 2018
Again, to a degree of certitude that should be sufficient, they should be suppressed.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Former NSA and CIA director General Michael Hayden on Recode Decode," 19 June 2018
In 2012, Israel ordered its sixth submarine from the company, over the objections of generals who said the existing fleet was sufficient.

— matthew campbell, Bloomberg.com, "Benjamin Netanyahu Could Be Heading for a Fifth Term. Or to Court," 14 June 2018
Federal prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Moseley to more than 16 years; Moseley's attorneys argued that two years would be sufficient.

— steve vockrodt, kansascity, "Another Kansas City payday lender is off to prison, this time for 10 years," 12 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.