1
as in incomplete
lacking some necessary part
a diet deficient in calcium can lead to weak bones
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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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
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The picture of the race is incomplete with so many more ballots left to tally.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Tom Schwartz later says that the behavior is completely unacceptable, as does Jason.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Many security breaches occur not because of faulty authorization code, but because the wrong people have been granted access due to human errors and poor visibility.—
Arie Abramovici,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Consumer spending softened, increasing 1.8%, down from a 4% rise in the fourth quarter, but a decent performance in light of stock market turmoil and poor weather early in the quarter.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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In addition, preliminary research from the National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that poor mental health may cost the U.S. economy nearly $300 billion annually.—
Dilan Gomih,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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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
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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
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Everything will come down to its capabilities, its vulnerabilities, its biases—for better and, definitely, for worse.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficient. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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