sufficiency

noun

suf·​fi·​cien·​cy sə-ˈfi-shən(t)-sē 

plural sufficiencies

1

: sufficient means to meet one's needs : competency

also : a modest but adequate scale of living

2

: the quality or state of being sufficient : adequacy

Synonyms

• acceptability
• adequacy
• satisfactoriness

Examples of sufficiency in a Sentence

the sufficiency of the portions is such that you will leave the restaurant with a full stomach but without doggie bags

Recent Examples on the Web

Then use the same maturity model to test less risky areas with a slower rate of investment where sufficiency is acceptable. —Kevin Lynch, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025

In the United States, most efforts focus on self sufficiency. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 Dec. 2024

But there is a difference between efficiency and sufficiency. —Vijay Kolinjivadi, TIME, 14 Dec. 2024

These locks include critical challenges such as data sufficiency, power infrastructure, and return on investment. —Peter High, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

earlier sufficience in same sense (going back to Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Late Latin sufficientia, from Latin sufficient-, sufficiens sufficient + -ia -ia entry 1) + -ency

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sufficiency

• self-sufficiency

Kids Definition

sufficiency

noun

suf·​fi·​cien·​cy sə-ˈfish-ən-sē 

plural sufficiencies

1

: sufficient means to meet one's needs

2

: the quality or state of being sufficient : adequacy

Legal Definition

sufficiency

noun

suf·​fi·​cien·​cy

: the quality or state of being sufficient

the sufficiency of the evidence to convict