Standard Lemma guide

insufficiency

noun · 4 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.

  • /ɪnsəˈfɪʃənsi/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N S AH0 F IH1 SH AH0 N S IY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The lack of sufficiency: a shortage, the state of having or being not enough (of something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: deficiency (broadly synonymous), inadequacy
  • The troops went hungry because of the insufficiency of their supplies.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lack, unsufficiency, deficiency[Appendix:Glossary, inadequacy

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

lack of an adequate quantity or number

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the inadequacy of unemployment benefits

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inadequacy, deficiency

Antonyms: sufficiency

Broader terms: amount

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

3

noun

Meaning 3

(pathology) inability of a bodily part or organ to function normally

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inability, unfitness

Narrower terms: coronary insufficiency, cardiac insufficiency

4

noun

Meaning 4

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: inadequacy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: failing, weakness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English sufficiency English insufficiency From in- + sufficiency.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: çatışmazlıq — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Azerbaijani: qıtlıq — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Catalan: insuficiència — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不足 (bùzú) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Finnish: riittämättömyys — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • French: insuffisance — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • French: déficience — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Galician: insuficiencia — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • German: Insuffizienz — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Greek: ανεπάρκεια (anepárkeia) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Hindi: अपर्याप्तता (aparyāptatā) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Hungarian: elégtelenség — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Irish: ganntanas — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Irish: easpa — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Irish: easnamh — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Italian: insufficienza — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Kazakh: жеткіліксіздік (jetkılıksızdık) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Korean: 불충분 (bulchungbun) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Malayalam: അപര്യാപ്തത (aparyāptata) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Malayalam: കുറവ് (kuṟavŭ) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Manx: neufondid — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Manx: neuhaieid — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Manx: neuhaieys — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Pohnpeian: souitar — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Polish: niedostateczność — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Polish: niedostatek — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Portuguese: insuficiência — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Russian: недоста́точность (nedostátočnostʹ) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Spanish: insuficiencia — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Tamil: போதாமை (pōtāmai) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy
  • Ukrainian: недоста́тність (nedostátnistʹ) — the lack of sufficiency; a shortage or inadequacy