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Definition of enoughnext
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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
Leaders should ask whether a new location grows the customer base, deepens existing relationships, or increases purchase frequency or spending enough to offset channel substitution. Ayşe Çetinel, Harvard Business Review, 18 Aug. 2026 Broward Circuit Judge Carlos Rodriguez ruled that the city met its legal obligations, and the language is clear enough. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
Adjective
Debtors keep enough of their wages to cover necessary living expenses, but all other disposable income goes to creditors. Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026 Imagine being one of the thousands of children in Baltimore who do not always have enough to eat. Fred Hassell, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026
Noun
If anything, Nedivi and Wolpert wonder whether the show does enough to capture how crazy some of the early Soviet missions to space actually were. Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 14 July 2026 His biggest failure has been not doing enough to address the affordability crisis facing working families. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for enough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enough
Adverb
  • But a sufficiently powerful quantum computer can change that, Smith warned.
    Joshua Hong, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Advertisement Critics have argued that many airports were not sufficiently prepared for the switch in systems.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 12 Aug. 2026
Adverb
  • That’s fair enough, especially since, as the rest of the episode proves, Boyle is pretty universally known in Great Britain.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Odds of getting shares were worse than one in five thousand, which explains pretty loudly why the stock popped so much on launch.
    John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Adverb
  • That was quite confusing, so the clubs voted to get rid of it.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Few countries have felt the force of the insect’s impact quite like South Africa.
    Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Now, the former governor of the state of Guerrero has been formally charged over his alleged involvement, after a judge ruled that Mexico’s attorney general had sufficient evidence to proceed.
    Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Why are troops receiving rations based on approximately 4,600 calories a day when modern military standards suggest significantly less would be sufficient?
    Bethany Mandel, The Washington Examiner, 16 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Since then, the case has remained in the pleading stage, where the county has challenged the sufficiency of the claims without answering them, and the child’s attorneys have revised their complaint three times.
    Bay City News, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • This freedom includes the expression of health, harmony, sufficiency, and the ability to think and act rightly.
    Rob Nofsinger, Christian Science Monitor, 10 July 2026
Adverb
  • States are also setting up systems that may not adequately track pregnant and postpartum enrollees who should be exempt from the law’s new work requirements, erroneously dropping them from coverage, Burak’s report said.
    Andrew Jones, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • These Harry Bertoia stools spotted on 1stDibs are the type of seats that can be dressed up or down—or left alone to be adequately admired.
    Kelly Dawson, Architectural Digest, 17 Aug. 2026
Adverb
  • Female enlistments, by contrast, have remained relatively steady at around 10,000 recruits a year.
    Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Rookie fourth-round wide receiver Elijah Sarratt has been relatively quiet in practices over the past couple of weeks.
    Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Adverb
  • The Puerto Rican boxer had brain surgery but never fully recovered from his injuries, identified as a large subdural hematoma, and was in a persistent vegetative state.
    Matt Moret, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Based on the state’s funding formula, the district is only 70% fully funded, down from 73% last year.
    Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Enough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enough. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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