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

Others feared that the A’s and OakDot’s efforts to mitigate vehicle traffic wouldn’t be sufficient, that nearby streets would be gridlocked or chaotic on game days. — Rachel Swan, SFChronicle.com, "How to get to the A’s proposed ballpark? Oakland council anxiously counts the ways," 3 July 2019 Many wonder if cutting taxes is sufficient, given the liberal assault on religious freedoms and traditional values. — Bobby Jindal, WSJ, "Conservatives, Put Culture First," 1 July 2019 But not everyone is convinced that their softer-on-crime approach is sufficient, given the state of American incarceration. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "The problem with Tiffany Cabán and the new cult of “progressive prosecutors”," 28 June 2019 Clark instructed her to forego the breathing and concentrate on the compressions, as hands-only CPR is now thought to be sufficient. — Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "When a 911 dispatcher walks a wife through a life-and-death moment," 25 June 2019 Facing a critical staffing shortage, Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw next month is relaxing hiring and grooming standards for the bureau: A high school diploma or GED certificate will be sufficient. — oregonlive.com, "Police chief alters hiring standards for officers: high school diploma, GED sufficient; tattoos above collar and beards OK," 19 June 2019 Notice was sufficient when it was served to S.L.L.'s attorney, the majority found. — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Court upholds default mental commitment for patient absent from hearing," 12 June 2019 Even a small mountain stream that runs year-round is sufficient. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "How To Live Off the Grid," 10 June 2019 Unicaf offers the convenience of anytime, anywhere study — as long as the internet service is sufficient. — Karin Fischer, New York Times, "Online Classrooms Look to Improve Higher Education Across Africa, but Face Skepticism," 7 June 2019

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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