INDEX:
1. good enough
2. to reach a high enough standard
3. something that stops someone or something from being completely bad
4. not good enough
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ ENOUGH/NOT ENOUGH
↑ SATISFIED/NOT SATISFIED
↑ GOOD AT
↑ BAD
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1. good enough
▷ good enough /ˈgʊd ɪˌnʌf/ [adjective phrase]
▪ If the weather’s good enough next weekend we’ll go camping.
good enough for
▪ It’s just a cheap wine but it’s good enough for a picnic.
good enough to do something
▪ Do you think she’s good enough to be in the team?
▷ satisfactory /ˌsætɪsˈfækt ə ri, ˌsætəsˈfækt ə ri/ [adjective]
something that is satisfactory reaches the expected standard but is not better than it :
▪ You won’t get paid unless your work is satisfactory.
▪ Lynne got satisfactory grades and was offered a place at university.
▷ be all right/OK /biː ˌɔːl ˈraɪt, əʊˈkeɪ/ [verb phrase] spoken
use this about something that is good enough but not especially good :
▪ The children made the cakes. I hope they’re all right.
▪ ‘What did you think of the movie?’ ‘Oh, it was OK - nothing special.’
▪ This book is OK for beginners but it’s not really suitable for more advanced students.
▷ not bad /nɒt ˈbæd/ [adjective phrase] spoken
use this to say that something is fairly good, and better than you expected :
▪ ‘What was the food like?’ ‘Oh, not bad - better than last time.’
▪ You know, that’s not a bad idea.
not too bad
▪ ‘How was the exam?’ ‘Oh, not too bad. I think I passed.’
▷ adequate /ˈædɪkwɪt, ˈædɪkwət/ [adjective]
good enough for a particular purpose, especially by being of a high enough level, amount, or quality :
▪ Employers must provide adequate training opportunities.
▪ Now that we have extended the hall, those small electric heaters are no longer adequate.
▪ Make sure that the lighting is adequate so that your guests can see what they are eating.
adequately [adverb]
▪ Some students cannot express themselves adequately on paper.
adequacy [uncountable noun]
▪ There are doubts about the adequacy of the medical care that was provided.
▷ acceptable /əkˈseptəb ə l/ [adjective]
good enough to be able to be used for a particular purpose :
▪ We had a lot of applicants for the job but only a few of them were acceptable.
▪ Some low-fat cheeses have quite an acceptable flavour but some taste like rubber.
acceptable to
▪ The dispute was settled in a way that was acceptable to both sides.
acceptably [adverb]
▪ Their response was acceptably quick.
▷ passable /ˈpɑːsəb ə lǁˈpæ-/ [adjective]
good enough, but not very good :
▪ There was some bread, a little cheese and a passable French wine.
▪ He gave a passable imitation of Charlie Chaplin.
▷ reasonable /ˈriːz ə nəb ə l/ [adjective]
fairly good, but not very good :
▪ Most of her work is of a reasonable standard.
▪ A reasonable number of people turned up for the meeting.
▪ We had an enjoyable weekend and the weather was quite reasonable.
reasonably [adverb]
▪ We want to be reasonably sure that everything’s safe.
▷ competent /ˈkɒmpɪtənt, ˈkɒmpətəntǁˈkɑːm-/ [adjective]
a piece of work or a performance that is competent is done to a satisfactory standard but does not have any particularly good or skilful features :
▪ Most of the essays were competent but one was really outstanding.
▪ Ben took out his pen and produced a quick but very competent sketch of the building.
▷ decent /ˈdiːs ə nt/ [adjective] spoken
of a good enough quality or standard :
▪ I want to provide my boys with a decent education.
▪ There isn’t one decent restaurant around here.
decently [adverb]
▪ decently cooked food
▷ will do /wɪl ˈduː/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
to be good enough for a particular purpose :
▪ If you don’t have any butter, margarine will do.
▪ I want someone to practise first aid on. You’ll do, Simon.
will do somebody
be good enough for someone
▪ Don’t bother fetching me another chair. This one’ll do me fine.
2. to reach a high enough standard
▷ make the grade /ˌmeɪk ðə ˈgreɪd/ [verb phrase]
to succeed in reaching the necessary standard, especially in a difficult job :
▪ She would like to become a lawyer but she’s not sure whether she’ll make the grade.
▪ Only the talented few make the grade in professional golf.
▷ measure up /ˌmeʒər ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
use this when you are asking or considering whether someone will be good enough to do a particular job or to reach a particular standard :
▪ We’ll give you a week’s trial in the job so we can see how you measure up.
measure up to
▪ How will the new General Secretary measure up to his new task?
▷ come up to somebody’s standards/expectations etc /kʌm ˌʌp tə somebodyˈs ˈstændəʳdz/ [verb phrase]
to achieve the level of quality that is necessary or expected :
▪ The new design doesn’t come up to our usual standards.
▪ The computer system has certainly come up to expectations -- it’s great!
▷ live up to /ˌlɪv ˈʌp tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to be as good as people expect - use this especially about people and their achievements, performances etc :
▪ It was impossible to live up to my parents’ expectations of me.
▪ He’s been under a lot of pressure to live up to his reputation as the world’s best player.
▷ meet /miːt/ [transitive verb]
to be good enough according to a standard that has been officially established :
▪ Does the tap water meet government health standards?
▪ The building does not meet the essential safety requirements.
▪ Only one system succeeded in meeting the main performance specifications.
▷ have what it takes /ˌhæv wɒt ɪt ˈteɪks/ [verb phrase]
to be good enough at something, especially something difficult, to be able to do it successfully :
▪ Do you have what it takes to run this business, or shall I give someone else the chance?
▪ If you have what it takes and can stand the pace of advertising, you can earn a very good salary.
▷ pass /pɑːsǁpæs/ [transitive verb]
to say officially that someone or something has reached the necessary standard :
▪ Each car has to be passed by a team of inspectors before it leaves the factory.
▪ His blood pressure was rather high so the doctor couldn’t pass him as fit for the job.
3. something that stops someone or something from being completely bad
▷ saving grace/redeeming feature /ˌseɪvɪŋ ˈgreɪs, rɪˌdiːmɪŋ ˈfiːtʃəʳ/ [noun phrase]
something, often the only thing, that makes someone or something not completely bad :
▪ Her only saving grace is her sense of humour.
▪ None of the characters in her novels have any redeeming features.
▪ The accommodation - dirty and freezing cold - had one redeeming feature. It was cheap.
4. not good enough
▷ not be good enough /nɒt biː ˈgʊd ɪˌnʌf/ [verb phrase]
▪ I’m afraid I can’t translate this letter. My Italian isn’t good enough.
not be good enough for
▪ The soil here isn’t good enough for arable farming.
▪ I paid $40 for that champagne, but it wasn’t good enough for your snobbish friends.
not be good enough to do something
▪ a good club player, but not good enough to play for his country
not well enough /nɒt ˈwel ɪˌnʌf/ [adverb]
▪ She didn’t play well enough to be selected for the team.
▷ unsatisfactory /ʌnˌsætɪsˈfækt ə ri, ʌnˌsætəsˈfækt ə ri/ [adjective] formal
not good enough and likely to cause problems or make people unhappy :
▪ People should not accept unsatisfactory products. They should complain.
▪ It was a most unsatisfactory meeting - not a single decision was made.
▪ Sharing my office with the two secretaries proved an unsatisfactory arrangement.
▷ inadequate /ɪnˈædɪkwət, ɪnˈædəkwət/ [adjective]
not good enough for a particular purpose or for what someone needs :
▪ The disease spread quickly because of poor living conditions and inadequate health care.
hopelessly/woefully inadequate
extremely inadequate
▪ My light clothing was hopelessly inadequate for the cold Japanese winter.
▪ The training that nurses get is woefully inadequate.
▷ not be up to scratch/not come up to scratch /ˌnɒt biː ʌp tə ˈskrætʃ, ˌnɒt kʌm ʌp tə ˈskrætʃ/ [verb phrase]
if someone’s performance, work, or products are not up to scratch, they are not of the standard that is necessary or expected :
▪ I wonder if Sykes is ill. His work hasn’t been up to scratch lately.
▪ Schools are being threatened with closure if exam results are not up to scratch.
▪ If they don’t come up to scratch, you can do them all again.
▷ substandard /ˌsʌbˈstændəʳd◂/ [adjective]
generally considered to be below the necessary standard :
▪ More money should be spent on the improvement of substandard housing.
▪ Most household goods sold here are substandard, but food is plentiful and cheap.
▪ substandard accommodation
▷ not come up to/not live up to /ˌnɒt kʌm ˈʌp tuː, nɒt lɪv ˈʌp tuː/ [verb phrase not in passive]
to not achieve the level or quality that someone expects :
▪ The film didn’t live up to our expectations. It was too long and the acting was appalling.
▪ Mark found that he simply could not live up to his teachers’ high standards.
▪ So far, she has not lived up to the tremendous promise she displayed earlier.
▷ won’t do /ˌwəʊnt ˈduː/ [verb phrase] British spoken
use this about something that is not good enough for a particular purpose :
▪ I need strong nylon thread. Cotton won’t do.
▪ I can’t accept this quality of work. It just won’t do.
▪ Handwritten notes won’t do for our purposes. You’ll have to type them.
▷ not cut it /nɒt ˈkʌt ɪt/ [verb phrase] American spoken
to not have the ability, strength etc to succeed in a particular job or activity :
▪ Most of the kids who start here are young and haven’t worked before. Some just can’t cut it.