SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
inadequate
adjective
Insufficient in amount, quality, or ability for a particular purpose.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Insufficient for the purpose
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topInadequate is assessed against a particular purpose; unsuitable may fail by kind rather than amount.
RELATED FORMS, ONE FEATURED ENTRY
The inadequate family
These forms are closely related, but their grammar and use are not identical. Expand a form to compare its meaning and examples.
inadequacynoun
A failure to meet a need or standard, or a deficiency that causes such a failure.
Failure to meet a need
Closest synonyms
Related expressions
The rehearsal exposed an inadequacy in the backup sound system.
The inadequacy of an exhibition's packing plan becomes visible when fragile models have no assigned containers and no record of their dimensions.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See inadequate in use
The inadequate lighting made the smaller labels difficult to read.
An inadequate review checklist considered only title colors and ignored definitions, examples, and answer keys, leaving essential parts of the display unchecked.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license