as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
an inadequate amount of food on hand for so many unexpected guests
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Recent Examples of inadequate
These outcomes suggest that the United States’ ability to deter a conventional conflict with China may be inadequate and call into question whether the United States would prevail in a war if deterrence failed.
—
Andrew S. Lim, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Gomez responded to a series of questions from inside ICE detention and claimed the prison food was inadequate, and a water fountain in his cell block was broken.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
At an emergency hearing Friday evening federal Judge James Boasberg seemed to agree the forms migrants were asked to sign regarding the Act had no information regarding their right to contest and were inadequate.
—Jasmine Garsd, NPR, 19 Apr. 2025
Additionally, the feds said, Newark’s fire department had inadequate training for cargo ships and should not have sent smoke-eaters onboard.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inadequate
Andrew S. Lim, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Gomez responded to a series of questions from inside ICE detention and claimed the prison food was inadequate, and a water fountain in his cell block was broken.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
At an emergency hearing Friday evening federal Judge James Boasberg seemed to agree the forms migrants were asked to sign regarding the Act had no information regarding their right to contest and were inadequate.
—Jasmine Garsd, NPR, 19 Apr. 2025
Additionally, the feds said, Newark’s fire department had inadequate training for cargo ships and should not have sent smoke-eaters onboard.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inadequate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadequate
Adjective
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Where those policies are insufficient to prevent the disruption of scholarship, classroom learning and teaching, or other aspects of normal campus life, Harvard must develop and implement disciplinary policies sufficient to prevent those disruptions.—
Kayla Jimenez,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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In the Motley Fool survey from late last year, 54 percent of retirees said the latest COLA is insufficient.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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On the other hand, a practice of resource assessment and sharing, even when resources are scarce, would operate from an abundance mindset.—
Eric Crosby,
Artforum,
1 May 2025
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In this tale, human detective Elijah Baley is drafted to solve the murder of a human on Solaria, an Outer Planet where humans are scarce and never mix with their peers.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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There is no sign outside Hurdle’s San Diego salon, but despite the low profile, her Instagram page warns that she’s usually booked months in advance.—
Lindsy Van Gelder,
Allure,
25 Apr. 2025
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With consumer confidence at its lowest level in three years and inflation expected to climb as a consequence of the trade war, even meek Republicans have raised complaints about the impact of some of Trump’s moves on their political future.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inadequate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadequate. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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