as in shortages
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there is a deficiency of fresh food in the diet of many of the working poor
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Recent Examples of deficiencies
The growing calls for accountability come as a local animal rescue founder has filed a lawsuit against the City of San Jose, alleging serious deficiencies in shelter operations.
—
Maddie White, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Iron and vitamin D deficiencies can both cause fatigue, but iron deficiency tends to have a more direct and noticeable effect on energy, especially in women with heavy periods.
—Sara Hoffman, Verywell Health, 18 June 2026
The safety board has issued six recommendations to address the regulatory oversight, technical standards for submersibles, and the safety management deficiencies.
—Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 17 June 2026
This week, the State of California and the California Public Utilities Commission sent a letter to the FCC, asking the agency to reject AT&T’s requests, or at least remove them from streamlined processing, and order the utility to address purported deficiencies in its plan.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
Fertilize peonies in early spring and fall if growth is poor or soil tests show nutrient deficiencies.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 12 June 2026
Get a soil test to check for nutrient deficiencies, as well as the pH level and amount of organic matter.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 11 June 2026
In recent years, however, the number of students that needed to take the class exploded—from 32 in 2020 to 665 in 2025—and deficiencies have become so bad that the course had to be redesigned to cover middle school and even elementary level skills.
—Adam B. Summers, Oc Register, 11 June 2026
Seven deficiencies, such as mold in the shower area, were taken care of within a few months, so Martinez was tasked with improving the remaining 92 deficiencies, officials said at the time.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026
Maddie White, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Iron and vitamin D deficiencies can both cause fatigue, but iron deficiency tends to have a more direct and noticeable effect on energy, especially in women with heavy periods.
—Sara Hoffman, Verywell Health, 18 June 2026
The safety board has issued six recommendations to address the regulatory oversight, technical standards for submersibles, and the safety management deficiencies.
—Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 17 June 2026
This week, the State of California and the California Public Utilities Commission sent a letter to the FCC, asking the agency to reject AT&T’s requests, or at least remove them from streamlined processing, and order the utility to address purported deficiencies in its plan.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
Fertilize peonies in early spring and fall if growth is poor or soil tests show nutrient deficiencies.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 12 June 2026
Get a soil test to check for nutrient deficiencies, as well as the pH level and amount of organic matter.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 11 June 2026
In recent years, however, the number of students that needed to take the class exploded—from 32 in 2020 to 665 in 2025—and deficiencies have become so bad that the course had to be redesigned to cover middle school and even elementary level skills.
—Adam B. Summers, Oc Register, 11 June 2026
Seven deficiencies, such as mold in the shower area, were taken care of within a few months, so Martinez was tasked with improving the remaining 92 deficiencies, officials said at the time.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficiencies
Noun
-
Owner David Garcia, who also runs La Camaronera, cited personal hardships, rising costs and labor shortages as factors in the closure.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2026
-
Builders are also under their own pressure from higher material costs, persistent labor shortages, and slower sales.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
Noun
-
The artist thought that paintings and drawings have a certain depth that photography on its own lacks.—
Kelsey Ables,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
What Hafley’s team lacks are proven, established names; productivity that can be relied on if healthy.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
7 June 2026
Noun
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This majestic sequence delivers a lifetime’s outpouring of love’s inadequacies and frustrations, of grief and regret, of gratitude along with candid acceptance of loss, and of self-questioning that never shakes the foundations of the family—her ferocious commitment to the children.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
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Epidemiologists and other medical experts told the AP that the suicides in ICE custody — which previously occurred typically once or not at all each year — were cause for alarm and a sign of inadequacies in care, at a minimum.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deficiencies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficiencies. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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