Standard Lemma guide

adequacy

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈædɪkwəsi/
  • /ˈædəkwəsi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AE1 D AH0 K W AH0 S IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The quality of being sufficient, adequate or able to meet the needs.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • His zeal is, of course, unquestionable; his adequacy, however, I doubt.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the quality of being able to meet a need satisfactorily:

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he questioned the adequacy of the usual sentimental interpretation of the Golden Rule

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: adequateness

Antonyms: inadequacy

Broader terms: satisfactoriness

3

noun

Meaning 3

the quality of being sufficient for the end in view

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he questioned the sufficiency of human intelligence

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sufficiency

Antonyms: inadequacy

Broader terms: quality

Narrower terms: ampleness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin adaequō Latin adaequātuslbor. English adequ(ate) English -acy English adequacy From adequ(ate) + -acy.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: адеква́тност (adekvátnost) — sufficiency
  • Dutch: deugdelijkheid — sufficiency
  • Finnish: sopivuus — sufficiency
  • Finnish: soveltuvuus — sufficiency
  • Georgian: ადეკვატურობა (adeḳvaṭuroba) — sufficiency
  • Georgian: შესაბამისობა (šesabamisoba) — sufficiency
  • Georgian: შესაფერისობა (šesaperisoba) — sufficiency
  • Georgian: სათანადოობა (satanadooba) — sufficiency
  • Georgian: საკმარისობა (saḳmarisoba) — sufficiency
  • German: Brauchbarkeit — sufficiency
  • German: Angemessenheit — sufficiency
  • German: Eignung — sufficiency
  • Hindi: पर्याप्तता (paryāptatā) — sufficiency
  • Irish: leorgacht — sufficiency
  • Japanese: 適切さ (tekisetsusa) — sufficiency
  • Polish: odpowiedniość — sufficiency
  • Polish: stosowność — sufficiency
  • Polish: adekwatność — sufficiency
  • Portuguese: adequação — sufficiency
  • Serbo-Croatian: adekvatnost — sufficiency
  • Spanish: cantidad suficiente — sufficiency
  • Turkish: yeterlik — sufficiency