SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
insufficiency
noun
An amount, quality, or supply that is not enough for a particular purpose.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Not enough
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topInsufficiency is relative to a need; scarcity describes limited availability, which may or may not be inadequate for a particular use.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See insufficiency in use
An insufficiency of evidence prevented the committee from reaching a firm conclusion.
An aggregation of supply lists gave the student craft fair one combined record of everything the clubs could contribute. It revealed an overabundance of ribbon but an insufficiency of display stands for the number of sellers expected.
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