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Definition of enoughnext
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enough

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adjective

enough

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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
An illusion of truth is built by repeating a lie often enough that the lie takes on the patina of truth. Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026 If the approval of the most important tastemakers (gay people) wasn’t enough, The New Yorker had crowned Industry as the best TV show of 2024, with the show dominating critics’ year-end lists, from Vanity Fair to Vulture and The Guardian. Louis Staples, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Providing your amaryllis with enough light during the growing season is crucial to reblooming. Cori Sears, The Spruce, 14 Jan. 2026 When questioning Kathleen Hartnett, the lawyer for transgender athlete Lindsay Hecox, Barrett asked if suppressing testosterone would be enough to negate the physical advantage men have over women in sports. Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
The trial of a Uvalde school police officer accused of failing to protect the children during the 2022 attack by not doing enough to stop the gunman will resume on Thursday after the judge denied a motion for a mistrial. Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026 Your Stress Levels Increase Not exercising enough can have adverse effects on your mental health. Aubrey Bailey, Verywell Health, 4 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for enough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enough
Adverb
  • But do the hierarchy want another frank agitator in Maresca, having been sufficiently chastened by Amorim’s semi-regular public declarations?
    Peter South, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
  • And how will their rolling hardware sufficiently navigate London’s Roman roads and medieval meanderings?
    Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • February 1972 was pretty important too.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The high-waist fit is super flattering, while the $42 price point is pretty unbeatable.
    Eva Thomas, InStyle, 14 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • Invoking a type of person via an AI persona can be quite handy.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • If the soil still appears quite moist, hold off on watering for a few more days and check again.
    Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • If natural light isn't sufficient, install grow lights or use reflective surfaces.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2026
  • By leveraging a four-day workweek as an incentive, thousands of organizations around the world—including hundreds in the United States—have been able to find sufficient gains to more than make up for the loss in hours.
    Joe O’Connor, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • But Chief Judge William Pryor pressed Klugh on the sufficiency of the pleadings.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Nov. 2025
  • The sufficiency of private-sector capital in enabling AI advances is wonderful for taxpayers, but the limits of this approach are becoming apparent.
    BEN BUCHANAN, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • His housing policies catered to the wealthy and real estate elites, failed to adequately invest in public housing and lower-income neighborhoods and greatly increased the city’s affordable housing crisis.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Earlier on Thursday, Judge Curtis Faber rejected Weinstein's bid for a new trial in Haley's case, ruling juror complaints about decorum in the deliberation room were adequately addressed.
    Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • Many failed to reach the relatively modest goal of staying alive.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
  • While fire blight can affect some species of pear trees, these plants are relatively disease-proof and have a good deal of cold tolerance.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • The Super Bowl ad is the latest move by a president and administration that have fully embraced professional sports as a prime venue to deliver their message.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 12 Jan. 2026
  • For some of the victims’ families, the interviews clarified how and why the crimes unfolded, filling in gaps that police files and court records never fully answered after years of unresolved questions.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 11 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Enough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enough. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.

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