ETYM Latin deficiens, -entis, p. pr. of deficere to be wanting. Related to Defect.
1. Falling short of some prescribed norm; SYN. inferior, substandard.
2. Inadequate in amount or degree; SYN. lacking, wanting.
depleted · inadequate · inferior · insufficient · lacking · lean · light · low · meager · meagerly · meagre · nonstandard · poor · scant · scarce · scrimpy · short · shy · skimpy · stingy · substandard · too little · wanting
ETYM Pref. in- not + adequate: cf. French inadéquat.
1. Not sufficient to meet a need; SYN. poor, short.
2. (Sometimes followed by 'to') Not meeting the requirements especially of a task.
deficient · incapable · incompetent · insufficient · lacking · poor · short · short-handed · short-staffed · undermanned · understaffed · unequal to · unsatisfactory · wanting
ETYM Latin insufficiens, -entis. Related to In- not, and Sufficient.
Of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement; SYN. deficient.
deficient · depleted · inadequate · lean · light · low · meager · meagerly · meagre · poor · scant · scarce · scrimpy · short · shy · skimpy · stingy · too little
1. Having little flesh; thin
2. Lacking desirable qualities (as richness or strength); deficient in quality or quantity
bare · deficient · exiguous · hand-to-mouth · hardscrabble · insufficient · marginal · meager · meagerly · measly · miserable · paltry · scanty · scarce · scrimpy · spare · stingy
1. Not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; meager; not enough.
2. Skimpy; parsimonious.
deficient · insufficient · light · short
1. Deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand
2. Not enough; hard to find
1. Low in stature; not tall
2. Primarily spatial sense; having little length or lacking in length
3. Most direct; SYN. shortest.
4. (Prosody) Used of syllables that are unaccented or of relatively brief duration.
5. (Phonetics) Of speech sounds (especially vowels) of relatively short duration (as e.g. the English vowel sounds in 'pat', 'pet', 'pit', 'pot', putt').
6. (Of memory) Deficient in retentiveness or range
7. Primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
8. (Finance) Not holding securities or commodities that one sells in expectation of a fall in prices
9. Unwilling to endure; SYN. unforbearing.
10. Lacking foresight or scope; SYN. shortsighted, unforesightful.
11. Containing a large amount of shortening; therefore tender and easy to crumble or break into flakes
abbreviated · breakable · brief · brusk · brusque · chunky · clipped · close · curt · curtal · deficient · discourteous · dumpy · fleeting · forgetful · fugitive · half-length · improvident · inadequate · insufficient · light · little · low · low-set · mindless · momentaneous · momentary · myopic · pint-size · pint-sized · poor · runty · sawed-off · sawn-off · scant · short and sweet · short-dated · short-range · short-run · short-snouted · short-stalked · short-term · shortened · shortish · shortsighted · small · snub · squab · squabby · squat · squatty · stubby · stumpy · telescoped · truncate · truncated · unforesightful · unmindful · unretentive
(Informal) Short
1. Easily startled or frightened.
2. Wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things
deficient · diffident · insufficient · timid · unconfident · unsure · wary
Deficient in supply or execution especially through skimping; scanty
1. Having little width in proportion to the length or height
2. Very narrow; SYN. thin.
3. Being of delicate or light build; SYN. slight, slim.
4. Small in quantity; SYN. slim.
graceful · lean · lissom · lissome · lithe · lithesome · little · narrow · slight · slim · small · supple · svelte · sylphlike · thin
Not thoroughly cooked; rare
1. Not adequate recompense or expiation
2. Not giving satisfaction
disappointing · dissatisfactory · failing · inadequate · off · unacceptable · unsatisfying
Absent; lacking; missing; also, deficient.
absent · deficient · inadequate · lacking · missing · nonexistent