SUFFICIENT Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'sufficient' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of sufficient are adequate , competent , and enough . While all these words mean "being what is necessary or desirable," sufficient suggests a close meeting of a need. // sufficient savings

Q: When might 'adequate' be a better fit than 'sufficient'?

The synonyms adequate and sufficient are sometimes interchangeable, but adequate may imply barely meeting a requirement. // the service was adequate

Q: Where would 'competent' be a reasonable alternative to 'sufficient'?

Although the words competent and sufficient have much in common, competent suggests measuring up to all requirements without question or being adequately adapted to an end. // had no competent notion of what was going on

Q: How are the words 'enough' and 'sufficient' related?

Enough is less exact in suggestion than sufficient . // do you have enough food?

sufficient

adjective

Definition of sufficient

as in adequate

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How does the adjective sufficient contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of sufficient are adequate, competent, and enough. While all these words mean "being what is necessary or desirable," sufficient suggests a close meeting of a need.

sufficient savings

When might adequate be a better fit than sufficient?

The synonyms adequate and sufficient are sometimes interchangeable, but adequate may imply barely meeting a requirement.

the service was adequate

Where would competent be a reasonable alternative to sufficient?

Although the words competent and sufficient have much in common, competent suggests measuring up to all requirements without question or being adequately adapted to an end.

had no competent notion of what was going on

How are the words enough and sufficient related?

Enough is less exact in suggestion than sufficient.

do you have enough food?

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 sufficient And once an accusation is made, there’s no consensus about what evidence would be sufficient to clear an author’s name. — T.m. Brown, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 Today, the few temples that offer this rare practice accept full or partial bones – even just several grams of bones – which are collected and held at the temple until there are sufficient bones to construct a bone buddha. — Mimi Hanaoka, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026 The justices denied the government’s request to freeze a lower-court order that found the administration’s decision to end such care for prisoners was not backed by sufficient evidence. — Julian Mark, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026 Each can affect whether suppliers have sufficient resources to comply with labor standards. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sufficient

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sufficient

Adjective

County officials responsible for issuing building permits have been accused of failing to conduct adequate inspections to ensure developers comply with safety guidelines and construction standards.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Sorrells has been unwilling to seek adequate budget funding from the Commissioners Court, leaving the office understaffed, according to one of the sources.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of adequate

Adjective

The old boy was perfectly reasonable, explaining the difference between federal reimbursement and state reimbursement, and the speed that agencies move on the different levels.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
The enforcement stems from Spotify’s requirement that family plan members reside at the same address—a seemingly reasonable policy in concept.

— Nick Indge, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of reasonable

Adjective

Strikeouts have become more acceptable in baseball, but not in Florida.

— Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
For now, however, an enormous gap remains between the conditions that Moscow and Kyiv deem minimally acceptable for even a temporary cease-fire.

— Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of acceptable

Adjective

An uninterrupted trip Stoliker thinks chaos is not a satisfactory explanation for psychedelics’ effect on the brain.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
After months of negotiations failed to yield a satisfactory agreement, the union approved strike action earlier this month in a vote held in tandem with unions at the Brooklyn Museum and American Folk Art Museum.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of satisfactory

Adjective

While no postponements or cancellations have been announced, security teams are undoubtedly assessing what level of risk is tolerable for the titans of the global economy.

— Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Or good people have other reasons for finding that bad thing to be tolerable.

— Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of tolerable

Adjective

Tall Tales, the rooftop lounge, offers a few small bites, such as elote guacamole, along with a menu of cocktails, wine, beer, and a decent selection of nonalcoholic options.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
There should be a decent contingent of American cardinals and archbishops at the games.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of decent

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sufficiency

sufficient

sufficiently

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“Sufficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sufficient. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sufficient

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