Meanings
plural inadequacies
- countableuncountableThe state of being inadequate.
sense of inadequacy
2 more examples
He struggled with feelings of inadequacy.
The report exposed the inadequacy of existing regulations.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA shortage of required material.
nounA lack of competence or ability.
More synonyms by meaning
nounlack of an adequate quantity or number
noununsatisfactoriness by virtue of being inadequate
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From inadequate + -cy or in- + adequacy.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian неадекватност, недостатъчност
- неадекватност (neadekvatnost)state of being inadequate
- недостатъчност (nedostatăčnost)shortage of required material
- незадоволителност (nezadovolitelnost)lack of competence or ability
Dutch ontoereikendheid
- ontoereikendheidstate of being inadequate
German Unzulänglichkeit, Materialmangel
- Unzulänglichkeitstate of being inadequate
- Materialmangelshortage of required material
- Ungenügenlack of competence or ability
- Unzulänglichkeitlack of competence or ability
Hindi अपर्याप्तता, अपर्याप्तता
- अपर्याप्तता (aparyāptatā)state of being inadequate
- अपर्याप्तता (aparyāptatā)shortage of required material
Norwegian Bokmål utilstrekkelighet, utilstrekkelighet
- utilstrekkelighetstate of being inadequate
- utilstrekkelighetlack of competence or ability
Portuguese inadequação
- inadequaçãostate of being inadequate
Spanish inadecuación
- inadecuaciónstate of being inadequate
Cite this entry
inadequacy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inadequacy
“inadequacy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inadequacy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inadequacy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inadequacy.
Source: inadequacy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.