1
as in incomplete
lacking some necessary part
a diet deficient in calcium can lead to weak bones
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
woefully deficient eyesight kept him out of military service
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
too deficient in common sense to be trusted to stay by himself
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deficient
And on social media, influencers — many with medical or scientific degrees in their bios — claim that most people are woefully deficient.
—
Alice Callahan, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Those who are deficient in magnesium are more likely to have anemia.
—Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 8 May 2025
However, the team continues through the postseason, things could be tougher as other teams won't be as deficient in the frontcourt as the Lakers.
—Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
The skink, listed as data deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, had never officially been documented alive and in its natural habitat.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Alice Callahan, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Those who are deficient in magnesium are more likely to have anemia.
—Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 8 May 2025
However, the team continues through the postseason, things could be tougher as other teams won't be as deficient in the frontcourt as the Lakers.
—Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
The skink, listed as data deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, had never officially been documented alive and in its natural habitat.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficient
Adjective
-
From ships to jets, Hong Kong’s story as an aviation hub would be incomplete without Cathay Pacific Airways.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
6 June 2025
-
That is a simplistic and incomplete description of an entire political party whose nominee won 48% of the vote in the November election.—
Michael Graham,
Boston Herald,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
And sometimes the soldiers can do things which are totally unacceptable and can be called crimes.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
-
Shamkhani underscored that the absence of sanctions relief rendered the U.S. plan unacceptable.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
And then what happens when taxpayers are given the wrong answer?—
Tax Notes Staff,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Those looking for salacious and headline-grabbing score-settling, however, have come to entirely the wrong place.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
Last December, a tiff erupted between billionaire entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, on the one side, and MAGA champions including Steve Bannon, over the formers’ claims that H-1B workers are needed because the homegrown tech workforce is inadequate.—
Alec MacGillis,
ProPublica,
3 June 2025
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And for many, forgiveness might seem an inadequate response, given available options like anger, bitterness, hatred, revenge, retribution.—
Kevin Sack,
Time,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Most cited poor digital offerings or a lack of services and products.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
5 June 2025
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The risk extends even to children due to increasing rates of childhood obesity and poor dietary habits.20 As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that healthy adults have their lipids checked every four to six years.—
MD Published,
Verywell Health,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
That proposal was rejected due to insufficient funding.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
During that time, Israel allowed in a fluctuating, almost always insufficient number of aid trucks.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
11 June 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
-
My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
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That cartilage injury was worse than expected, and Jiménez could miss all or most of this season rehabbing.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
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Athletics manager Mark Kotsay has continued to search for answers to cure what ails the Athletics during their historically bad run of losing in West Sacramento.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficient. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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