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
His power in the Senate atop the chamber’s health committee and bipartisan respect as an earnest lawmaker proved inadequate to overcome his impeachment vote and Trump’s influence among Louisiana Republican voters.
—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
27 June 2026
Army investigations have repeatedly pointed to the same factors contributing to fatal training incidents including sleep deprivation, inadequate training and inexperienced leaders supervising high-risk exercises.
—
ABC News,
26 June 2026
Calls for police forces run by each of the 36 states have grown louder over the years, with proponents arguing that a central police force in Abuja has proven inadequate in overseeing the country’s security needs.
—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
26 June 2026
The action sequences are jerky and disjointed; Supergirl’s laser eyes constitute the only occasional, if inadequate, jolt of life.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for inadequate
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
27 June 2026
Army investigations have repeatedly pointed to the same factors contributing to fatal training incidents including sleep deprivation, inadequate training and inexperienced leaders supervising high-risk exercises.
—
ABC News,
26 June 2026
Calls for police forces run by each of the 36 states have grown louder over the years, with proponents arguing that a central police force in Abuja has proven inadequate in overseeing the country’s security needs.
—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
26 June 2026
The action sequences are jerky and disjointed; Supergirl’s laser eyes constitute the only occasional, if inadequate, jolt of life.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for inadequate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadequate
Adjective
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Shuffling the opposition across to make space for a switch to the far side is a viable method of attack, but that can then come at the cost of a central box presence, with Portugal lacking runners beyond the ball.
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There is something to be found in both this character and the actress who plays her, but Alcock’s Kara did not have a chance to shine here in a lacking feature, and deserved better.
Adjective
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Trump and his supporters have repeatedly pushed Senate leaders to abolish the filibuster to pass the election bill, but there's also insufficient support to drastically change the chamber's procedures.
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However, inadequate wastewater infrastructure, insufficient funding and a lack of accountability have contributed to one of the worst environmental and public health crises in North America.
Adjective
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Pools are scarce in the area, Haze noted, and the marketing leans into that rarity — especially when paired with immediate beach access.
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With memory supply scarce and pricey, consumer electronics companies have spent the past six months pulling various levers to manage the situation, from reconfiguring product SKUs in order to reduce the bill of materials to reluctantly hiking prices.
Adjective
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Those groups also have lower access to drugs that can stop the transmission of HIV.
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Last winter was the second-warmest on record, according to the city’s ordinance, with record low snowpack almost everywhere.
Cite this Entry
“Inadequate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadequate. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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