Synonyms of deficiency

deficiency

noun

di-ˈfi-shən-sē 

as in shortage

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

• shortage
• lack
• deficit
• insufficiency
• scarcity
• inadequacy
• absence
• drought
• paucity
• poverty
• famine
• lacuna
• failure
• dearth
• inadequateness
• undersupply
• scantiness
• crunch
• omission
• pinch
• scarceness
• necessity
• want
• meagerness
• privation
• skimpiness
• poorness
• need

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequacy
• sufficiency
• abundance
• amplitude
• wealth
• plenty
• opulence
• plenitude
• surplus
• excess
• overabundance
• oversupply
• copiousness
• surfeit
• bountifulness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deficiency

Deficient calcification sometimes occurs naturally, but biologists suspect vitamin D deficiency when teeth are regularly stratified by layers of hardened and soft dentin. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Nov. 2026

Compounding Ford’s problems was that she wasn’t registered as an athlete agent in North Carolina, a deficiency that also rendered the contract void. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 2 Nov. 2026

To cure this deficiency, SED needs statutory authority and staff to conduct investigations and the ability to exact financial penalties on violators. — David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

An independent committee found that the Housing Bureau's independent checking unit, the Buildings Department, the Fire Services Department and the Labor Department had deficiencies in their supervision work, Lee said. — Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026