insufficiently

adverb

as in inadequately

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 insufficiently Soenen alleges Brown officials were insufficiently responsive to her questions about the process. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026 Internal pressure gave the missile its structural rigidity, meaning the vehicle could buckle if insufficiently pressurized. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026 Or… 2) Miami is insufficiently impressed and spends its likely very high 2027 first-round draft pick on a QB with the clear intent for the rookie to soon replace Willis. — Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026 Especially exciting to him was the German student movement, which combined support for liberation across the non-Western world with attacks on what the students considered the suffocating (and still insufficiently de-Nazified) Federal Republic. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026 The government may not decide that Church teaching is insufficiently religious, insufficiently consistent with Catholic doctrine, or insufficiently compelling to justify an ecclesiastical policy. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026 The order also authorizes the Justice Department to challenge state vaccine regulations deemed insufficiently respectful of parental objections. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 17 Aug. 2026 Similar ads released in recent months accuse Moulton of being insufficiently progressive compared to Markey, a co-author of the Green New Deal, who’s seeking a third term in the Senate. — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2026 Xavier’s anger with his father flared further when Gene was, in Xavier’s view, insufficiently supportive of attempts to reunite with his mother and help her. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insufficiently
  1. inadequately
  2. improperly
  3. inappropriately
Adverb
  • Even as funding pours in, first responders say the village remains inadequately prepared to protect residents and tourists.
    — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The case accused school officials of unreasonably exposing McNair to the risk of heatstroke, failing to recognize the initial symptoms and inadequately providing medical care and treatment, thus worsening McNair’s condition.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of inadequately
Adverb
  • Now, Amy Helm has countersued the studio, alleging that her successor, Brian Parillo, used invalid corporate actions to take control of the famed music venue in Woodstock, New York, and improperly obtained voting power from Levon Helm’s widow.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • What’s Happening Mycotoxins are toxins formed by molds that can grow on crops like grains and coffee beans if improperly stored.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of improperly
Adverb
  • There is also evidence that psychopathy evidence is being inappropriately relied on in death penalty cases.
    — David DeMatteo, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In November 2005, church volunteer Scott Preston Moore entered sleeping quarters at night and inappropriately touched two teenage boys.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of inappropriately

Browse Nearby Words

insufficient
insufficiently
insular
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Insufficiently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insufficiently. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of disparate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All