Standard Lemma guide

inadequacy

noun · 6 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.

  • /ɪˈnædɪkwəsi/
  • /ɪˈnædəkwəsi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N AE1 D IH0 K W AH0 S IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state of being inadequate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • sense of inadequacy
  • He struggled with feelings of inadequacy.
  • The report exposed the inadequacy of existing regulations.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: adequacy, plenty

2

noun

Meaning 2

A shortage of required material.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deficiency, insufficiency

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A lack of competence or ability.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: incompetence, inability, incapability

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

unsatisfactoriness by virtue of being inadequate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inadequateness

Antonyms: adequacy

Broader terms: unsatisfactoriness

5

noun

Meaning 5

lack of an adequate quantity or number

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the inadequacy of unemployment benefits

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: insufficiency, deficiency

Antonyms: adequacy

Broader terms: amount

Narrower terms: meagerness, meagreness, leanness, poorness, scantiness, scantness, exiguity, deficit, shortage, shortfall, scarcity, scarceness, slenderness

6

noun

Meaning 6

a lack of competence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • pointed out the insufficiencies in my report
  • juvenile offenses often reflect an inadequacy in the parents

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: insufficiency

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: failing, weakness

History

Etymology

From inadequate + -cy or in- + adequacy.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: неадекватност (neadekvatnost) — state of being inadequate
  • Dutch: ontoereikendheid — state of being inadequate
  • Georgian: არაადეკვატურობა (araadeḳvaṭuroba) — state of being inadequate
  • Georgian: შეუსაბამობა (šeusabamoba) — state of being inadequate
  • Georgian: არასრულფასოვნება (arasrulpasovneba) — state of being inadequate
  • Georgian: არასაკმარისობა (arasaḳmarisoba) — state of being inadequate
  • Georgian: უკმარისობა (uḳmarisoba) — state of being inadequate
  • Georgian: შეუსატყვისობა (šeusaṭq̇visoba) — state of being inadequate
  • German: Unzulänglichkeit — state of being inadequate
  • Hindi: अपर्याप्तता (aparyāptatā) — state of being inadequate
  • Malayalam: അപര്യാപ്തത (aparyāptata) — state of being inadequate
  • Norwegian Bokmål: utilstrekkelighet — state of being inadequate
  • Pohnpeian: souitar — state of being inadequate
  • Portuguese: inadequação — state of being inadequate
  • Spanish: inadecuación — state of being inadequate
  • Azerbaijani: çatışmazlıq — shortage of required material
  • Azerbaijani: qıtlıq — shortage of required material
  • Bulgarian: недостатъчност (nedostatǎčnost) — shortage of required material
  • Georgian: არასაკმარისობა (arasaḳmarisoba) — shortage of required material
  • Georgian: უკმარისობა (uḳmarisoba) — shortage of required material
  • German: Materialmangel — shortage of required material
  • Hindi: अपर्याप्तता (aparyāptatā) — shortage of required material
  • Malayalam: അപര്യാപ്തത (aparyāptata) — shortage of required material
  • Malayalam: കുറവ് (kuṟav) — shortage of required material
  • Azerbaijani: nöqsan — lack of competence or ability
  • Azerbaijani: çatışmazlıq — lack of competence or ability
  • Bulgarian: незадоволителност (nezadovolitelnost) — lack of competence or ability
  • Georgian: არაკომპეტენტურობა (araḳomṗeṭenṭuroba) — lack of competence or ability
  • German: Ungenügen — lack of competence or ability
  • German: Unzulänglichkeit — lack of competence or ability
  • Malayalam: പോരായ്മ (pōrāyma) — lack of competence or ability
  • Norwegian Bokmål: utilstrekkelighet — lack of competence or ability