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 The new lawsuit After Van Houten determined there was not sufficient evidence to press criminal charges, the case laid low for a while. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026 Those levies were under scrutiny Wednesday, when judges pressed the administration on whether Greer had sufficient justification. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026 There was a time when physicians could largely focus on clinical care while administrators managed the business because reimbursement was sufficient to support most organizational needs. — Dr William Wertheim, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 This would keep storage levels sufficient and allow power companies and countries to get a better head start on refilling natural-gas storage for next year. — Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sufficient

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sufficient

Adjective

For Americans in rural communities, getting adequate health treatment has often been an uphill battle.

— Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
Those criteria include having an adequate footprint, ground seismology and access to large quantities of water.

— John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of adequate

Adjective

Our responsibility is to provide accurate medical information, compassionate counseling and the full range of medically reasonable options so patients can make informed decisions consistent with their values.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
North Carolina has embraced pro-economic growth policies, like lower taxes and reasonable regulations.

— Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of reasonable

Adjective

They were rendered invisible in the dominant discourse, their deaths acceptable costs in a game of power politics and conquest.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
The facility’s operator did not demonstrate acceptable food safety knowledge on proper warewashing, sanitizer requirement/use, cloth towel use/storage, food contact surface cleaning and cold holding temperatures.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of acceptable

Adjective

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
The effort displayed by Kansas’ 14 men’s basketball players at Bill Self’s 24th annual Boot Camp proved satisfactory to the Hall of Fame Jayhawks coach.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of satisfactory

Adjective

Many proteins have significant regions where limited changes to their amino acid sequence are tolerable and other areas where even a slight deviation from the existing sequence inactivates the protein.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026
The leaves may only just be changing near you, and temperatures may still be tolerable without a jacket.

— Addy Bink, The Hill, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of tolerable

Adjective

While the price can be inhibiting for some — with chef pants priced as high as $190 and jackets as much as $210, the price of a decent knife or other cooking tools — Argoti feels the heavy usage justifies the cost for him.

— Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
The other was a decent man constantly being tormented by God in order to test his faith.

— Chuck Lorre, Vanity Fair, 7 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sufficient

adjective

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