SUFFICIENT Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'sufficient' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of sufficient are adequate , competent , and enough . While all these words mean "being what is necessary or desirable," sufficient suggests a close meeting of a need. // sufficient savings

Q: When might 'adequate' be a better fit than 'sufficient'?

The synonyms adequate and sufficient are sometimes interchangeable, but adequate may imply barely meeting a requirement. // the service was adequate

Q: Where would 'competent' be a reasonable alternative to 'sufficient'?

Although the words competent and sufficient have much in common, competent suggests measuring up to all requirements without question or being adequately adapted to an end. // had no competent notion of what was going on

Q: How are the words 'enough' and 'sufficient' related?

Enough is less exact in suggestion than sufficient . // do you have enough food?

sufficient

adjective

Definition of sufficient

as in adequate

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How does the adjective sufficient contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of sufficient are adequate, competent, and enough. While all these words mean "being what is necessary or desirable," sufficient suggests a close meeting of a need.

sufficient savings

When might adequate be a better fit than sufficient?

The synonyms adequate and sufficient are sometimes interchangeable, but adequate may imply barely meeting a requirement.

the service was adequate

Where would competent be a reasonable alternative to sufficient?

Although the words competent and sufficient have much in common, competent suggests measuring up to all requirements without question or being adequately adapted to an end.

had no competent notion of what was going on

How are the words enough and sufficient related?

Enough is less exact in suggestion than sufficient.

do you have enough food?

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 sufficient Instead, she was charged with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and one misdemeanor count of confinement of animals without sufficient exercise. — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026 But, as the new documents show, that embarrassing episode constitutes separate, and sufficient, grounds for opposing Blanche’s confirmation. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 31 July 2026 In March, a federal judge denied Wells Fargo’s motion to dismiss the case, ruling that Arbuckle had presented sufficient facts for the matter to move forward. — Chase Jordan july 30, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026 Robinson was in court this month for his preliminary hearing, where prosecutors sought to establish that there was sufficient evidence for Robinson to stand trial. — Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sufficient

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sufficient

Adjective

Water authorities trying to maintain adequate supplies of fresh water have banned farmers in some parts of the country from pumping water out of canals to irrigate their crops.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
Investors also challenged lofty tech stock valuations and doubted whether surging capital spending will generate adequate returns.

— Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of adequate

Adjective

The example demonstrates how an owner might maintain an attractive base rate while making a reasonable margin through relevant extras.

— Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
The three-prospect package going to the Tigers seems like a reasonable price for two months of a pitcher who underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow in May.

— Andy McCullough, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of reasonable

Adjective

There’s an acceptable, understood feeling-things-out period that takes place in the first week of training camp.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
The concern about respectability politics is legitimate Black people have historically been expected to alter themselves to become acceptable to institutions whose standards were rarely built with them in mind.

— Tee Wilson, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of acceptable

Adjective

This matters because ringing up more sales outside the morning coffee rush can help keep Starbucks’ comps growing at satisfactory clips as year-over-year comparisons get tougher.

— Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 30 July 2026
Police responses can also lead to trauma for that person or a less satisfactory outcome than another community service response would produce, Duckett said.

— Scott Maucione, NPR, 27 July 2026

Definition of satisfactory

Adjective

That study, which tests for safety and determines the most effective and tolerable size of a dose, is needed before the vaccine can be tested in the field in a larger efficacy trial.

— Helen Branswell, STAT, 22 July 2026
The tolerable upper intake level (UL) for magnesium from supplements and medications is 350 milligrams (mg) per day.

— Kirstyn Hill, Health, 14 July 2026

Definition of tolerable

Adjective

As time passes, the kills have to get more inventive to sustain the level of suspense required for a decent sized group of people to be in fear of their lives for a prolong period of time.

— Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
These are fine principles, the bedrock of any decent society.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026

Definition of decent

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“Sufficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sufficient. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of sufficient

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