Synonyms of inadequacy

inadequacy

noun

(ˌ)i-ˈna-di-kwə-sē 

1

as in shortage

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

the inadequacy of our servings was soon apparent, as hungry guests started clamoring for seconds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shortage
• lack
• deficiency
• insufficiency
• deficit
• scarcity
• absence
• paucity
• poverty
• drought
• inadequateness
• failure
• famine
• dearth
• lacuna
• scantiness
• undersupply
• scarceness
• omission
• crunch
• pinch
• necessity
• meagerness
• want
• privation
• skimpiness
• poorness
• need

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequacy
• sufficiency
• abundance
• amplitude
• wealth
• opulence
• plenty
• plenitude
• excess
• surplus
• overabundance
• oversupply
• copiousness
• surfeit
• bountifulness

2

as in inability

the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means

tried to blame others in order to hide the inadequacy of his leadership

Synonyms & Similar Words

• inability
• incompetence
• powerlessness
• impotence
• ineptitude
• incapacity
• incompetency
• incapability
• insufficiency
• ineffectiveness
• inefficiency
• disqualification
• inefficacy
• inaptitude
• ineffectuality
• ineffectualness
• inefficaciousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequacy
• competence
• ability
• capacity
• competency
• capability
• potency
• efficiency
• talent
• gift
• effectiveness
• endowment
• aptitude
• genius
• flair
• knack
• bent
• suitability
• strength
• power
• fitness
• efficaciousness
• potency
• effectualness
• suitableness
• sinew
• puissance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of inadequacy

This majestic sequence delivers a lifetime’s outpouring of love’s inadequacies and frustrations, of grief and regret, of gratitude along with candid acceptance of loss, and of self-questioning that never shakes the foundations of the family—her ferocious commitment to the children. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 12 June 2026

That number says less about the size of the problem than about the inadequacy of the old answers. — Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 10 June 2026

That’s a feeling of inadequacy that not only infests Ruben’s mind, but Niall’s as well. — Barry Levitt, Time, 29 May 2026

Epidemiologists and other medical experts told the AP that the suicides in ICE custody — which previously occurred typically once or not at all each year — were cause for alarm and a sign of inadequacies in care, at a minimum. — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026