[suf.fi.cient] adj [ME, fr. L sufficient-, sufficiens, fr. prp. of sufficere] (14c) 1 a: enough to meet the needs of a situation or a proposed end "~ provisions for a month" b: being a sufficient condition
2. archaic: qualified, competent -- suf.fi.cient.ly adv syn 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".