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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
Hotel worker Adrianarivony Fanomegantsoa, 22, told Reuters his 300,000-ariary ($67) monthly salary was barely enough to cover food, explaining his reasons for joining the protests. CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025 Update your emergency kit and be sure to include enough food and water to last for 3 days for each person in your home. Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The couple have also criticized Netanyahu for not doing enough to free the hostages. Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2025 Additionally, only 33% of consumers feel that their bank does enough to support their financial needs. Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
Distributions are taxable income, which if high enough, trigger IRMAA. Medora Lee, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025 Instead, the key is to strike a balance between embracing opportunities that come your way while staying humble enough to recognize the privilege behind them and that others may have had to work much harder for the same chance. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for enough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enough
Adverb
  • The network claimed that the series’ producers violated their contract by not providing finished episodes to its censors in a sufficiently timely manner (an assertion that would not pass muster in a subsequent civil-court case won by the brothers).
    Bruce Handy, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
  • As model capability has grown, so has the complexity of the tasks that they're being tested on and the human skill needed to create sufficiently challenging tasks.
    Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • The other pretty much risk-free option is to cook them, which kills off any vibrio that might be in the meat.
    Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025
  • And hey, most shiny Pokémon are pretty elusive.
    Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • Drama aside, Evans said that everyone became quite close as a result of living in the student-like quarters, sharing many cafeteria meals, and being vulnerable in a rather stressful experience, together.
    Shindy Chen, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Resale values on premium EVs are notoriously bad, and with the possible exception of the Rolls-Royce Spectre, nobody has quite cracked the nut on how to build one that could conceivably be considered an heirloom.
    Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • For example, while researching material before making Deep Dive Korea, Jeong felt that the topic of the haenyeo female free divers had been glorified in the media without sufficient context of the suffering and hardship historically associated with the community.
    Sara Merican, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Biden was slow to react to Netanyahu's growing brutality and, as Harris says in her book, failed to show sufficient empathy for the plight of the Gazans.
    Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • His attorneys plan to file motions challenging the sufficiency of the charges and alleging political pressure, while prosecutors prepare to disclose transcripts and records of his 2020 testimony.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Sep. 2025
  • To determine the sufficiency of the evidence, the appellate judges identified the reasonable inferences that could be drawn from the circumstances proved.
    Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 19 Aug. 2025
Adverb
  • The problem arises when excessive dust, dirt, and hair accumulate around the coils, preventing them from performing their job adequately.
    Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Air monitoring confirmed that employees likely weren’t exposed to cyclonite through inhalation, but the inspection confirmed that employees weren’t adequately protected from exposure to cyclonite through either ingestion or skin absorption.
    Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • The relatively remote area where the plant is located is typically patrolled by smaller law enforcement departments, so other agencies have volunteered resources for support, a source told CNN.
    Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Key Takeaways The Old Farmer’s Almanac forecasts relatively calm and travel-friendly weather nationwide for Thanksgiving this year.
    Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • The military campaign appeased his far-right coalition partners, who called to expand Israel’s assault on Gaza and dreamed of fully re-occupying the territory.
    Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
  • After the fire is fully contained, the next step is to control it.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Enough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enough. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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