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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 deficiencies
The war also revealed deficiencies in Russia’s conventional ground and air forces.
—
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
An inspector also noted physical deficiencies like equipment in need of repair.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026
Davids, a Democrat whose district includes part of Wyandotte County and all of Johnson County, Anderson County, Franklin County and Miami County, went on to outline her concerns about potential operational deficiencies that contributed to the sluggish alert times.
—Matthew Kelly
april 22, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
The Heat again played with a size deficit for much of the season, sometimes because of roster deficiencies and sometimes because coach Erik Spoelstra had a love/hate relationship with a two-big lineup of Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
Indigenous peoples have something to say to all of these matters, or deficiencies of our moment.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 22 Apr. 2026
The Cavs’ bench didn’t play well in Game 2, and the Raptors cleaned up deficiencies on the glass and in transition from Game 1.
—Ngwa Numfor, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
However, when applied as a top dressing to existing peony beds, compost is usually not enough to fix any phosphorus or potassium deficiencies.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Apr. 2026
Lawmakers have proposed several bills this session related to the agency that have, in part, been meant to address deficiencies or gaps made public after the recent tragedies.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
An inspector also noted physical deficiencies like equipment in need of repair.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026
Davids, a Democrat whose district includes part of Wyandotte County and all of Johnson County, Anderson County, Franklin County and Miami County, went on to outline her concerns about potential operational deficiencies that contributed to the sluggish alert times.
—Matthew Kelly
april 22, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
The Heat again played with a size deficit for much of the season, sometimes because of roster deficiencies and sometimes because coach Erik Spoelstra had a love/hate relationship with a two-big lineup of Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
Indigenous peoples have something to say to all of these matters, or deficiencies of our moment.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 22 Apr. 2026
The Cavs’ bench didn’t play well in Game 2, and the Raptors cleaned up deficiencies on the glass and in transition from Game 1.
—Ngwa Numfor, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
However, when applied as a top dressing to existing peony beds, compost is usually not enough to fix any phosphorus or potassium deficiencies.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Apr. 2026
Lawmakers have proposed several bills this session related to the agency that have, in part, been meant to address deficiencies or gaps made public after the recent tragedies.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficiencies
Noun
-
Because of the war, petroleum shortages have led to jacked up prices at the gas pump, and that has grabbed everyone’s attention.—
Dave Trecker,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
-
California’s housing prices, shortages and challenges are the result of decades of overreach at all levels of state and local government.—
Eliza Terziev,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Cinch doesn't have many add-on options available, which means customization lacks.—
Caroline Ernst,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
-
As of Wednesday, firearms dealers are required under state law to use scanners that pull the prospective purchaser’s name, date of birth and other details from the card’s magnetic strip, which the new design lacks — except if they are authorized otherwise.—
Madison Smalstig,
Sacbee.com,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Lamont administration invited to the signing ceremony Hammersley and others who have been critical of Connecticut’s longstanding inadequacies in education funding, which have been the subject of litigation over decades, as well as the current governor’s fiscal moderation.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Any nook and cranny across the building becomes a storage space — the number of issues with the current space at this point is a scroll of inadequacies, many city employees said.—
Elliot Mann,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deficiencies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficiencies. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
