INSUFFICIENCY Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

insufficiency

noun

ˌin(t)-sə-ˈfi-shən(t)-sē

as in shortage

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number dealt with the school's insufficiency of art supplies by buying materials out of her own pocket

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in inability

the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means her alleged insufficiency for the job

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 insufficiency That’s double the 2019 level when insufficiencies first soared due to Trump’s first-term tariffs under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act. —

Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026 Many ideas that were rejected in the past receive new life upon a surprising new observation; many ideas that are accepted today will be overthrown when a key experimental result demonstrates its insufficiency. —

Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026 Advertisement Certain people are at an elevated risk for developing vitamin D insufficiency all year long. —

Stacey Colino, Time, 30 Jan. 2026 Trump has attributed bruising on his hands to his heavy intake of aspirin to thin his blood and swollen ankles to chronic venous insufficiency. —

Joey Garrison, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for insufficiency

Recent Examples of Synonyms for insufficiency

Noun

That means there will be no shortage of motivation in these final weeks, and their key players should continue to play every minute despite their run to the semi-finals of the Europa League.

— Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
That’s just one example of what more than three decades of chronic school funding shortages under Colorado’s decades-old spending cap has led to.

— Kevin Vick, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026