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 But this is all, and longevity is not something sufficient for a government. — Jenni Reid,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026 The Cold War playbook The senior NASA official, however, argued that scholarships may not be sufficient, and a dedicated institution would showcase how vital subject matter expertise has become. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026 In a single-person household, washing your bath mat every one to two weeks is typically sufficient. — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2026 But prosecutors rejected those requests, saying police failed to provide sufficient grounds for his arrest and failed to comply with prosecutors' demand for further investigation of Bang. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sufficient

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sufficient

Adjective

Lyft also doesn’t fingerprint its drivers unless required by law and doesn’t provide adequate background checks, the lawsuit alleged.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2026
The state health department said North Carolina has an adequate supply of prophylaxis and would provide it to anyone who needs it.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of adequate

Adjective

The judge then reread his instructions on reasonable doubt before sending them back to continue deliberating.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Deadlocked jurors have deliberated seven days, with one panelist accused of misapplying reasonable doubt, exposing deep divisions over whether the Massachusetts mother is criminally responsible for killing her three young children.

— Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of reasonable

Adjective

The facility’s employees did not demonstrate acceptable food safety knowledge on proper warewashing, equipment use and proper food storage.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026
The 2026 Legislature passed HB 991, an elections bill requiring strict proof of citizenship to vote and eliminating some acceptable forms of photo ID.

— José Javier Rodríguez, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of acceptable

Adjective

Not ready for prime time The video-generation technology rarely gets the content right on its first try, Sun said, adding that her team takes at least 10 attempts to create a satisfactory 15-second clip.

— Ling Wei, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
The ride quality in my tester was more than satisfactory; a good thing given the infamous Atlanta traffic.

— Jerry Perez, The Drive, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of satisfactory

Adjective

Looking back on a summer marked by drought and forest fires in Europe, Romay said the weather at Inditex headquarters in the Galicia region in Spain had been tolerable.

— Ellen Groves, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
So far, the costs of the mutual blockade have been tolerable for the United States.

— JAMES F. JEFFREY, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of tolerable

Adjective

This is part of WaterAid’s core approach that aims to change lives with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.

— Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
If both are out for Week 1, Roschon Johnson would slot into the mid-upper 30s, as a high-volume play not without decent risk.

— Jake Ciely, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of decent

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“Sufficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sufficient. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of sufficient

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