enough 1 of 3

Definition of enoughnext
1
2
3

enough

2 of 3

adjective

enough

3 of 3

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective enough contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of enough are adequate, competent, and sufficient. While all these words mean "being what is necessary or desirable," enough is less exact in suggestion than sufficient.

do you have enough food?

When would adequate be a good substitute for enough?

Although the words adequate and enough have much in common, adequate may imply barely meeting a requirement.

the service was adequate

When is it sensible to use competent instead of enough?

The words competent and enough can be used in similar contexts, but 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

When is sufficient a more appropriate choice than enough?

The synonyms sufficient and enough are sometimes interchangeable, but sufficient suggests a close meeting of a need.

sufficient savings

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 enough
Adverb
The temps have not been cold enough for long enough to truly freeze the river like some locals might remember from 1977. David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Feb. 2026 The Taos is peppy enough to move along on the open road, considering the inherent limitations of the segment. James Raia, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Nurses see every day how patient care suffers when there aren’t enough of us at the bedside. Diana Torres, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026 Advertisement But McSweeney’s resignation is not enough, according to Byrne. Callum Sutherland, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
With newcomer Aaliyah Crump still on the shelf, the pressure is on Lee and Booker, along with Harmon to carry the load, but the supporting cast didn’t do enough. Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 16 Jan. 2026 The Clintons in a joint letter to Comer on Tuesday argued the subpoenas were legally invalid, and accused Comer of not doing enough to ensure the Department of Justice complied with a law to release materials related to the Epstein investigation. Emily Brooks, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for enough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enough
Adverb
  • Defense attorneys Smart and Kevin Rosseau had argued the detectives’ investigation was marred by tunnel vision and that the investigators did not sufficiently explore other possible suspects, including a person who made a threat on Jamarrien Monroe’s life.
    Emerson Clarridge Updated February 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
  • From a sufficiently massive, sufficiently cold cloud of material, whether pristine or enriched, gravitational collapse will begin to occur.
    Big Think, Big Think, 6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
  • On the court, this trade is pretty much a teardown event for Memphis, a commitment to a full-on rebuild after the Jackson-Desmond Bane-Ja Morant core couldn’t get past the second round of the playoffs and began backsliding in the standings once Morant’s availability and production declined.
    John Hollinger, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
  • The sweater over the button-down feels pretty sophisticated, but the short hem adds some fun.
    Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 4 Feb. 2026
Adverb
  • The answer, quite straightforwardly, is no.
    Big Think, Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
  • The Oscar-winning British filmmaker crafts a sumptuous bad romance that’s quite haughty, darkly hilarious and ultimately heartfelt.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Experts say these changes are necessary but not sufficient.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Organizers are vowing to use entirely renewable energy to power the cannons which should guarantee sufficient cover for the 116 Olympic medal events scheduled over 17 days.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • As a result, the brain releases more of the hunger hormone ghrelin and dials down leptin, one of the hormones that signals fullness and energy sufficiency.
    Amy J. Sheer, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2026
  • But Chief Judge William Pryor pressed Klugh on the sufficiency of the pleadings.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Nov. 2025
Adverb
  • Council Member Mike Siegel questioned whether the agreement adequately restricts outside access to camera footage and prevents the company from using data to train its AI models.
    Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Furthermore, there isn’t a brace that adequately controls the knee, according to Stone.
    Devon Henderson, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Adverb
  • Some economists suggested last week's rise could be statistical noise, and the total number remains relatively low compared with history.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
  • One is that Venus is relatively large (almost the same size as Earth) for a rocky planet as well as relatively close to the Sun; in terms of the total amount of solar radiation incident on its surface, only Jupiter receives more.
    Big Think, Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
Adverb
  • Bad Bunny singing at the Super Bowl means bringing Spanish-language songs, fully charged with references to Latino culture, to the biggest stage of American TV.
    Rocio Munoz, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
  • One of The Kid’s classmates slipped through an inflatable ring in my pool, and her mom had to jump in, fully clothed, after her, but that near mishap only seemed to bring our group closer together.
    Jen Wang, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Enough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enough. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on enough

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!