1
as in incomplete
lacking some necessary part
a diet deficient in calcium can lead to weak bones
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
woefully deficient eyesight kept him out of military service
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
too deficient in common sense to be trusted to stay by himself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deficient
Atlanta Falcons: Shemar Stewart, DE, Texas A&M The Falcons have been deficient in pass rushers for years.
—
Ben Standig, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
In 2022 Placer County dropped its approval after an appeals court found that its environmental report was deficient in four areas, including emergency evacuation analysis.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025
The motion alleges that the lawsuit is deficient in many other ways.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
And companies that use corruption to get undeserved business typically perform poorly, providing deficient products, infrastructure, and services that harm consumers.
—Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Ben Standig, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
In 2022 Placer County dropped its approval after an appeals court found that its environmental report was deficient in four areas, including emergency evacuation analysis.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025
The motion alleges that the lawsuit is deficient in many other ways.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
And companies that use corruption to get undeserved business typically perform poorly, providing deficient products, infrastructure, and services that harm consumers.
—Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficient
Adjective
-
If the data used to train an AI system is incomplete or skewed, the resulting insights can reinforce inequities rather than resolve them.—
Abhishek Gandotra,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The picture of the race is incomplete with so many more ballots left to tally.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Shapiro told reporters at a news conference on April 16 that regardless of the motivation for the crime, political violence must be condemned as unacceptable in our society.—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Any format that builds in a conflict of interest is unacceptable.—
Robert Greene,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But even one in three Republicans said their cost of living was on the wrong track, according to the poll, which surveyed 4,306 U.S. adults nationwide between April 16 and April 21.—
Jason Lange,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
-
For the past two decades, a majority of voters have almost without interruption said the country is on the wrong track, through multiple presidential administrations from different parties.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The result of both inadequate support for new mothers and poor medical advice was that more and more mothers bottle-fed their babies cow’s milk.—
Made by History,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Others wanted to send a balanced budget using the inadequate funds proposed, along with a resolution demanding more money.—
Josh Michtom,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Some parents worry that Alexa's high tolerance for rudeness instills poor behavior in their kids, according to Quartz.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Road conditions are rapidly deteriorating, with the percentage of roads in poor condition expected to double in two years.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Where those policies are insufficient to prevent the disruption of scholarship, classroom learning and teaching, or other aspects of normal campus life, Harvard must develop and implement disciplinary policies sufficient to prevent those disruptions.—
Kayla Jimenez,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
-
In the Motley Fool survey from late last year, 54 percent of retirees said the latest COLA is insufficient.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
-
My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump intends to completely reimagine U.S. trade relations with our closest partners and fiercest rivals, for better or worse.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
-
As an attempt to derive meaning from a meaningless phrase —which was, after all, the user's request—that's not half bad.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficient. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share