SUFFICIENT


Meaning of SUFFICIENT in English

adj.

Pronunciation: s ə - ' fi-sh ə nt

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin sufficient-, sufficiens, from present participle of sufficere

Date: 14th century

1 a : enough to meet the needs of a situation or a proposed end < sufficient provisions for a month> b : being a sufficient condition

2 archaic : QUALIFIED , COMPETENT

– suf · fi · cient · ly adverb

synonyms SUFFICIENT , ENOUGH , ADEQUATE , COMPETENT mean being what is necessary or desirable. SUFFICIENT suggests a close meeting of a need < sufficient savings>. ENOUGH is less exact in suggestion than SUFFICIENT <do you have enough food?>. ADEQUATE may imply barely meeting a requirement <the service was adequate >. 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>.

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.