Insufficiency — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a lack of competence

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

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɪnsəfˈɪʃənsi/

🇬🇧British English

/ɪnsəfˈɪʃənsi/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɪnsəfˈɪʃənsi/

5 syllables Say it as /ɪnsəfˈɪʃənsi/.

Examples

pointed out the insufficiencies in my report
juvenile offenses often reflect an inadequacy in the parents
the inadequacy of unemployment benefits

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

inadequacy deficiency

Antonyms

adequacy sufficiency

Parts of Speech

noun	a lack of competence “pointed out the insufficiencies in my report”
noun	(pathology) inability of a bodily part or organ to function normally
noun	lack of an adequate quantity or number “the inadequacy of unemployment benefits”

Word Forms

insufficient	adjective	of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement
deficient	adjective	inadequate in amount or degree

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Insuffizienz

ein Mangel an Kompetenz

🇫🇷French

insuffisance

un manque de compétence

🇪🇸Spanish

insuficiencia

una falta de competencia

🇮🇹Italian

insufficienza

una mancanza di competenza

🇳🇱Dutch

insufficiëntie

een gebrek aan competentie

🇵🇹Portuguese

insuficiência

falta de competência

🇷🇺Russian

недостаточность

отсутствие компетентности

India

🇮🇳Hindi

कमी

योग्यता की कमी

🇧🇩Bengali

অপর্যাপ্ততা

দক্ষতার অভাব

🇮🇳Tamil

பற்றாக்குறை

திறமையின்மை

🇮🇳Telugu

అసమర్థత

సమర్థత లేకపోవడం

🇮🇳Marathi

अपुरेपणा

सक्षमतेचा अभाव

🇮🇳Gujarati

અપૂરતીતા

યોગ્યતાનો અભાવ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕೊರತೆ

ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯದ ಕೊರತೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

അപര്യാപ്തത

ഒരു കഴിവില്ലായ്മ

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਨਾਕਾਫ਼ੀ

ਯੋਗਤਾ ਦੀ ਕਮੀ

🇵🇰Urdu

کمی

قابلیت کی کمی

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

不足

缺乏能力

🇯🇵Japanese

不足

能力の欠如

🇰🇷Korean

불충분

역량 부족

🇻🇳Vietnamese

sự thiếu hụt

thiếu năng lực

🇹🇭Thai

ความไม่เพียงพอ

ขาดความสามารถ

🇮🇩Indonesian

ketidakcukupan

kurangnya kompetensi

🇵🇭Filipino

kakulangan

kakulangan ng kakayahan

🇲🇾Malay

ketidakcukupan

kekurangan kecekapan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

القصور

نقص الكفاءة

🇮🇷Persian

نارسایی

فقدان صلاحیت

🇹🇷Turkish

yetersizlik

yeterlilik eksikliği

🇮🇱Hebrew

אִי סְפִיקָה

חוסר יכולת

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'insufficiency'?

The primary meaning of 'insufficiency' is 'a lack of competence'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'insufficiency' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'insufficiency' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'insufficiency' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'insufficiency' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'insufficiency' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'insufficiency' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'insufficiency' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'insufficiency' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'insufficiency' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'insufficiency' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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