inadequate

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See also: inadéquate

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From in- +‎ adequate.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪnˈædəkwɪt/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: in‧ad‧e‧quate

Adjective

inadequate (comparative more inadequate, superlative most inadequate)

  1. Not adequate; lacking in quality or quantity required; insufficient for a purpose.
    Synonyms: insufficient, deficient; see also Thesaurus:inadequate
    inadequate resources
    inadequate representation
    • 1971, Lyndon Johnson, “The Beginning”, in The Vantage Point‎, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 12:
      I had not yet seen Mrs. Kennedy. I wondered with what inadequate words I could try to console her.
    • 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 June 2013:
      In a convulsion that has caught many in Brazil and beyond by surprise, waves of protesters denounced their leaders for dedicating so many resources to cultivating Brazil’s global image by building stadiums for international events, when basic services like education and health care remain woefully inadequate.
    • 2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: Wakefield Kirkgate”, in RAIL, number 948, page 28:
      By the 21st century, the clearly inadequate facilities needed to be replaced, so the area was rebuilt and modernised between 2009-13 as part of regeneration efforts focused upon the wider area.
    • 2023 June 29, Metro, London, page 13, column 5:
      “Russia is a terrorist country whose leader is an inadequate person”. Putin's failings are evident to the “entire world”, he said.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:inadequate.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

inadequate (plural inadequates)

  1. A person who is inadequate.
    • 2012, Norman T. Feather, The Psychological Impact of Unemployment:
      Thus, at some critical level of unemployment, “the unemployed” becomes a negative reference group of inadequates, the hardcore unemployed […]
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