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 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
-
But the shortages of Patriot defense systems remain a concern amid reports that the Pentagon is considering diverting advanced defensive weapons earmarked for Ukraine to the Middle East.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In 2022, my final year in office, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent fertilizer prices surging several-fold, and farmers across Central America—and around the world—saw production costs spike almost overnight, raising fears of food shortages.—
Carlos Alvarado Quesada,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Dipping into 2027 draft capital to make a fifth-round selection in a draft that Schneider has repeatedly said lacks depth is a surprising move.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Industrial composting sites—big, regionalized facilities that can churn out large volumes of organic waste—are designed to speed up the composting process using heat, moisture, and carbon control, things that a simple countertop compost container lacks.—
Francesca Krempa,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Apr. 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 28 Apr. 2026.
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