1
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
dealt with the school's insufficiency of art supplies by buying materials out of her own pocket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inability
the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means
her alleged insufficiency for the job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of insufficiency
That’s double the 2019 level when insufficiencies first soared due to Trump’s first-term tariffs under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act.
—
Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
Many ideas that were rejected in the past receive new life upon a surprising new observation; many ideas that are accepted today will be overthrown when a key experimental result demonstrates its insufficiency.
—Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Certain people are at an elevated risk for developing vitamin D insufficiency all year long.
—Stacey Colino, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Trump has attributed bruising on his hands to his heavy intake of aspirin to thin his blood and swollen ankles to chronic venous insufficiency.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insufficiency
Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
Many ideas that were rejected in the past receive new life upon a surprising new observation; many ideas that are accepted today will be overthrown when a key experimental result demonstrates its insufficiency.
—Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Certain people are at an elevated risk for developing vitamin D insufficiency all year long.
—Stacey Colino, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Trump has attributed bruising on his hands to his heavy intake of aspirin to thin his blood and swollen ankles to chronic venous insufficiency.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insufficiency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insufficiency
Noun
-
The lack of pay has contributed to high call-out rates at airports across the country, including at Philadelphia International Airport, where staffing shortages have led to longer security lines.—
Eva Andersen,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The war has threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Experts say multinationals and foreign investors still want a share of India's consumption story — but the country's inability to create more white-collar jobs is undermining that narrative.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
-
When their inability to compromise led to a government shutdown in 2011, Standard & Poor’s downgraded this country’s debt from AAA to AA for the first time in roughly a century.—
Stu Strumwasser,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As recently as 2022, research group IDinsight found unintended pregnancy was, after a lack of money for school fees, the leading cause of girls not returning to education.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In Miami-Dade, the lack of oversight has been acute, the Herald found.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This phase is designed to address deficiencies identified during initial operations, complete technical refinements, and implement maintenance or system adjustments before the platform transitions into a regular deployment cycle.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
-
At Pebble Creek at Lake Mary, 85 apartment units were condemned due to life-threatening deficiencies, and at the Rialto Apartments near Sand Lake Road, nearly 400 residents were evacuated due to structural instability.—
Keegan A. Berry,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insufficiency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insufficiency. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
