as in poorly
in an unsatisfactory way
she did the job quickly, but inadequately
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Recent Examples of inadequately
The attorney general's office also said, because the district did not show how the plaintiffs could only inadequately represent them, intervention of right was not an available option, and that intervention would unnecessarily prolong the case.
—
Arkansas Online, 3 Jan. 2026
The titular role highlighted her distinctive looks and personality including long blonde hair and an attitude sometimes inadequately described as pouty.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 28 Dec. 2025
Ditto for if a person is inadequately dressed or exposed to wind that strips away the thin insulating layer of warm air near the skin.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
The restaurant was inadequately reheating foods inside the steam table, including black beans, tomato sauce and mashed potatoes.
—Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025
Each said the department's practices are inadequately protecting students.
—Danielle Duclos, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Fueling your body inadequately will leave you feeling dissatisfied and undernourished.
—Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 10 Oct. 2025
Decades of underfunding and under-research mean women are still diagnosed late, treated inadequately, and left to manage conditions that could have been prevented or better addressed.
—Maria Shriver, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
For most of the nearly 20% of kindergartners who haven’t had their full schedule of shots, their families have never requested an exemption; the children are simply inadequately immunized.
—Jason Kane, NBC news, 15 Sep. 2025
Arkansas Online, 3 Jan. 2026
The titular role highlighted her distinctive looks and personality including long blonde hair and an attitude sometimes inadequately described as pouty.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 28 Dec. 2025
Ditto for if a person is inadequately dressed or exposed to wind that strips away the thin insulating layer of warm air near the skin.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
The restaurant was inadequately reheating foods inside the steam table, including black beans, tomato sauce and mashed potatoes.
—Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025
Each said the department's practices are inadequately protecting students.
—Danielle Duclos, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Fueling your body inadequately will leave you feeling dissatisfied and undernourished.
—Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 10 Oct. 2025
Decades of underfunding and under-research mean women are still diagnosed late, treated inadequately, and left to manage conditions that could have been prevented or better addressed.
—Maria Shriver, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
For most of the nearly 20% of kindergartners who haven’t had their full schedule of shots, their families have never requested an exemption; the children are simply inadequately immunized.
—Jason Kane, NBC news, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadequately
Adverb
-
Under simulated flue gas conditions containing 15 percent CO₂, 8 percent oxygen, and 77 percent nitrogen, the new system continued to produce significant amounts of formic acid while other systems performed poorly.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The country’s hospitals are so poorly equipped that patients are asked to provide supplies needed for their care, from syringes to surgical screws.—
David Klepper,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
That all plays really badly with the people at whom it is aimed.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Seven Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the measure, underscoring how badly Republicans would need Democrats to overcome the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster.—
Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The dialogue sometimes lapses from bad-funny to just bad.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
-
And it’s been replaced by the grim reality that this team is one bad-looking MRI away from downright irrelevance.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inadequately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadequately. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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