enough

1 of 3

adjective

i-ˈnəf 

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

Synonyms

Adverb

• adequately
• satisfactorily
• sufficiently
• suitably

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

Speaking to the coach was enough to persuade Hunter to follow Sanders to Jackson State, a HBCU and FCS school with far less football pedigree than Florida State, and then to Boulder and the Buffs. —Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024

Antetokounmpo had done his job and denied Johnson’s drive, but that wasn’t enough for the Bucks’ two-time league MVP. —Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024

Adverb

Still, only about 55% of researchers are confident enough in their ability to design research that others can replicate. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024

The quality of the video was not good enough to verify their identity. —Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing enough

• be kind enough
• enough is enough
• enough/plenty to go around
• enough/plenty to go round
• enough said
• fair enough
• leave/let well (enough) alone
• leave well enough alone
• let well enough alone
• old enough to know better
• soon enough
• sure enough
• would you be good enough

Kids Definition

enough

1 of 3 adjective

i-ˈnəf 

: 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