enough

1 of 3

adjective

i-ˈnəf How to pronounce enough (audio)
ē-,
ə-
: occurring in such quantity, quality, or scope as to fully meet demands, needs, or expectations
enough food for everyone

enough

2 of 3

adverb

1
: in or to a degree or quantity that satisfies or that is sufficient or necessary for satisfaction : sufficiently
2
: fully, quite
he is qualified enough for the position
3
: in a tolerable degree
she sang well enough

enough

3 of 3

pronoun

: a sufficient number, quantity, or amount
enough were present to constitute a quorum
had enough of their foolishness
often used interjectionally
Choose the Right Synonym for enough

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

Examples of enough in a Sentence

Adjective Have you got enough money? That's enough talk for now; let's get started. There's enough food for everyone. Adverb I couldn't run fast enough to catch up with her. She's old enough to know better. Are you rich enough to retire? That's good enough for me. Oddly enough, they've never actually met. As if the crowds aren't bad enough, the parking situation is terrible. We can do it if they help enough. Pronoun Have you had enough to eat? He hasn't had much Spanish, but he knows enough to get by. The crowds are enough of a problem as it is, without having to worry about parking as well! It's enough to drive you crazy!
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Spend enough time snorting at these and the body itself starts to seem like another clumsy gadget—tongue-texting may be ridiculous, but so is a tongue. Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024 Would there be enough there for another media company or private-equity firm to be interested in a deal? Jennifer Maas, Variety, 22 Mar. 2024 Just as importantly, the engine can run for 80 hours at race pace between rebuilds, which is plenty enough for a season of track days or the six-round Radical Cup. Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2024 If not resolved, the legal dispute could end up turning into a major drama while Leonsis is already struggling to secure enough backing from Virginia lawmakers for his plan for a new arena. Meagan Flynn, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 By contrast, Do Not Expect has enough audacity and insights for a dozen movies stuffed into one. Armond White, National Review, 22 Mar. 2024 The film peaks and dips with enough frequency to occasionally cause motion sickness, but King’s performance provides a balance. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024 Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who can’t get enough Annette. Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Because of this, taking a supplement to support the health of their ‘new’ sperm with enough time is key. Casey Seiden, Parents, 22 Mar. 2024
Adverb
The geometric green print also feels timeless enough to sit in your closet without being too kitschy. Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024 Making this case for dramatic increases in defense spending is hard enough even while there is a war on European borders. Luke McGee, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, forecasts indicated that a deluge, intense enough to raise concerns about flooding, rolled toward the region on Friday, promising, or threatening, to replace concerns about conflagration with worries about inundation. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 The 10-minute bike ride back home couldn’t end fast enough. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024 As the clock ticks toward the tax filing deadline, some people might be desperate enough to turn to a bevy of new AI chatbots to do it all for them. Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024 Not to mention that the pebbled leather exterior is sturdy enough for this to remain your signature bag for years to come. Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2024 Once millennials finally were able to scrape together enough to buy a house, they were priced out by baby boomers with all-cash offers. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024 Some sections of the tunnel were narrow, likely allowing sections to be blocked off, while others were tall enough to stand in, the institute said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enough.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English ynough, from Old English genōg (akin to Old High German ginuog enough), from ge- (perfective prefix) + -nōg; akin to Latin nancisci to get, Greek enenkein to carry — more at co-

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of enough was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near enough

Cite this Entry

“Enough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enough. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

enough

1 of 3 adjective
: equal to the demands or needs : sufficient

enough

2 of 3 adverb
1
: in or to a sufficient amount or degree : sufficiently
ran fast enough
2
: fully sense 1, quite
qualified enough for the job
3
: so as to be moderately good : tolerably
sang well enough

enough

3 of 3 noun
: a sufficient quantity
enough to meet our needs

More from Merriam-Webster on enough

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