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
Of these, magnesium supplementation may be the most beneficial as it’s estimated that 75% of Americans are currently deficient, and magnesium supplementation is well known to promote calm and support sleep quality.
—
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 21 Feb. 2025
When deficient, plant yields and quality are reduced.
—Dr. Haiying Tao, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025
Second, laser technology is deficient in energy, efficiency, and is too expensive.
—New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2025
Of course, soil can also be deficient in important nutrients.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 21 Feb. 2025
When deficient, plant yields and quality are reduced.
—Dr. Haiying Tao, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025
Second, laser technology is deficient in energy, efficiency, and is too expensive.
—New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2025
Of course, soil can also be deficient in important nutrients.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficient
Adjective
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However, a skilled planner also understands that a financial plan must be adaptable—goals change, information is often incomplete, and flexibility is key.—
Jamie Hopkins,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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Vance’s allusion to President Andrew Jackson is incomplete.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The alternative — courts that fail to protect our fundamental rights — is unacceptable.—
Peter Martin,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2025
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Environmental groups have long opposed the new reservoir and objected to a shorter judicial review, saying the project will release unacceptable amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas, into the air in addition to other adverse impacts.—
Ari Plachta,
Sacramento Bee,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Notoriously indifferent to anyone on the wrong side of the 25-54 demo, advertisers eat this stuff up with a spork.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
7 Mar. 2025
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Other indicators consistently suggested Trump had the upper hand, such as weak Biden approval ratings, belief that the country was on the wrong track, and the strength of candidates on the main issue, inflation.—
Clifford Young,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In June last year, 23 workers were killed in a fire at a lithium battery factory that authorities blamed on quality control failures and inadequate safety training.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
25 Feb. 2025
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That conviction was set aside by an Oklahoma court which said his defense was inadequate.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And another research team, using data from 2015 to 2022, observed in an article available in Energy Research and Social Science that poor income distribution correlates with social unrest when fossil fuel subsidies are removed.—
Aldo Flores-Quiroga,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
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The board meeting featured a slideshow that indicated pre-sales of NASCAR Heat 5 were very poor, 27% behind NASCAR Heat 4 (the previous game in the series) at the same time in development.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And, according to Trump and Vice President JD Vance, the entitled Zelenskyy showed insufficient gratitude for the billions of dollars in U.S. aid that Ukraine has received following the Russian invasion.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
6 Mar. 2025
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With only 28 physicians per 10,000 people as of 2019, the current provider-to-patient ratio is insufficient, and The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.5 providers per 1,000 people are needed for adequate primary care.—
Waqaas Al-siddiq,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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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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However, irrational exuberance can leads stocks of good companies to be bad stocks.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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The Browns are coming off a 3-14 season, their worst since a 0-16 campaign in 2017, Garrett's rookie year.—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficient. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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