enough 1 of 3

adverb

Definition of enoughnext
1
as in sufficiently
in or to a degree or quantity that meets one's requirements or satisfaction the elevator is big enough to hold everyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pretty
to some degree or extent I can play the piano well enough, but I have no hope for a musical career

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in quite
to a full extent or degree I think we're prepared enough—we just lack the will to actually do it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

enough

2 of 3

adjective

as in sufficient

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

enough

3 of 3

noun

as in sufficiency

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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

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

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
Even a Rosary third-place finish Saturday was good enough for a county record. —Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026 Naturally, the kids are sensitive enough to their parents’ machinations to feel psychologically broken by them. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Moreover, the researchers emphasize that developing technical solutions alone is not enough; policies and regulations must also evolve to ensure public confidence in these technologies. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 6 Apr. 2026 Most produce only enough electrons to run a refrigerator and a few small appliances, experts say. —Drew Kann, AJC.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
The outlet also criticized the Florida senator for not doing enough prior to the two-week recess. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026 Oz, who earlier this year was criticized after posting a video accusing Armenian crime groups of carrying out widespread fraud, continued Thursday to accuse California and Los Angeles officials of not doing enough to combat fraud. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for enough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enough
  1. sufficiently
  2. pretty
  3. quite
  4. sufficient
  5. sufficiency
  6. adequately
  7. relatively
  8. fully
Adverb
  • This shortened the skip phase and maintained higher temperatures throughout the descent, ensuring the outer char layer never cooled sufficiently to trap gas beneath it.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
  • That climax is sufficiently creepy.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
Definition of sufficiently
Adverb
  • The entire operation gets support from a pretty unique group.
    — John Lauritsen, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • By pretty much every metric — student loan debt, credit scores, rates of homeownership — those who left were in worse financial shape than their neighbors, prompting them to leave for a better economic climate.
    — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of pretty
Adverb
  • Virtue isn’t quite like other hair care brands.
    — Tory Johnson, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The Service’s regional headquarters will vanish, along with most of its research facilities and experimental forests—and also quite likely the sense of mission that has animated the agency for more than a century.
    — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Definition of quite
Adjective
  • Too often, public health and medicine overinvest in the first, underinvest in the third, and take credibility for granted, assuming that degrees and titles are sufficient to earn trust.
    — Monica L. Wang, STAT, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Some 72% of respondents said an increase of 5% or higher would be sufficient to cover everyday expenses, the AARP survey found, while 26% said an 8% increase would be necessary to keep up with rising costs.
    — Lorie Konish, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of sufficient
Noun
  • To issue an Amber Alert, law enforcement must determine that specific statutory conditions are met, including the age of the child, law enforcement’s belief in imminent danger of serious injury or death, and the sufficiency of existing information to assist in recovery.
    — Itay Ravid, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The sufficiency of disapproval to derail Trump’s primary immigration enforcement serves as further damning evidence against the companies and entities that so easily and so quickly capitulated to Trump last year.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Definition of sufficiency
Adverb
  • The Republican supermajority is reluctant to stop an unlimited cash flow to an ever-expanding school voucher program that bleeds billions from public schools, despite ample proof of sloppy bookkeeping and zero proof that voucher students’ needs are adequately met.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Still, research has not adequately supported the unique physiology of women’s bodies across the lifespan.
    — Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of adequately
Adverb
  • While an annoyance at times for the crew, it's been a relatively minor issue given the technical challenges of safely flying to the moon and back.
    — William Harwood, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • That puts them at the forefront of an asset class that is looking uncertain, although their overall exposure is still relatively small compared to their vast holdings.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Definition of relatively
Adverb
  • In Hungary’s first fully free election, in 1990, the Party made a decent showing.
    — Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Significant advancements in fully capable robotics have become much more efficient and useful for scientific discovery.
    — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of fully

Browse Nearby Words

enormousness
enough
enounce
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Cite this Entry

“Enough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enough. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on enough

Nglish: Translation of enough for Spanish Speakers

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