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
However, the team continues through the postseason, things could be tougher as other teams won't be as deficient in the frontcourt as the Lakers.
—
Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
The skink, listed as data deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, had never officially been documented alive and in its natural habitat.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
Their argument is legally flawed, morally deficient and provably inconsistent.
—Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2025
The Mount Zion Road/Columbia Hollow bridge was part of the 2017 county bridge plan to replace 15 bridges deemed structurally deficient by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
The skink, listed as data deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, had never officially been documented alive and in its natural habitat.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
Their argument is legally flawed, morally deficient and provably inconsistent.
—Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2025
The Mount Zion Road/Columbia Hollow bridge was part of the 2017 county bridge plan to replace 15 bridges deemed structurally deficient by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficient
Adjective
-
An extended hall leads to another long hall, ending with an incomplete chamber containing his burial well.—
Rosa Rahimi,
CNN Money,
27 May 2025
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Sandoval gripes off-target against the state’s high rate of hospice fraud, poor Medi-Cal reimbursement rates, incomplete data reporting and reports that never see the light of day.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
The first project yields too many false positives, introducing an unacceptable amount of friction into the consumer experience.—
Shazia Manus,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
Don’t hire a sales person the conventional way Traditional sales hiring focuses on the wrong signals.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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But even putting O’Brien on notice would be an attempt to intimidate and silence a critic, which is plainly wrong.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
When their work is considered inadequate, a perfectionistic leader’s anger can threaten psychological safety in the workplace.—
Esade Business & Law School,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
-
Yesterday’s announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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This tactic is sometimes used to justify letting an employee go under the guise of poor performance.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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The original doesn’t go that deeply into it, but this poor girl was essentially forced to be a teen mom at this time in her life when all of her friends would be graduating high school and dating and thinking about their futures.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Labor advocates say the strikers’ benefits bill is a necessary counter to the advantages most employers have at the bargaining table, especially since the Trump administration has left the National Labor Relations Board with insufficient members to act and shrunk the ranks of labor mediators.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2025
-
The measure previously failed to pass a procedural hurdle due to insufficient Democratic support.—
Owen Tedford,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
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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If Americans were working longer to stave off poverty, then a rising retirement age would be a bad thing, said Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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But, are seed oils worse than saturated animal fats?—
Marianne Krasny,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficient. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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