1
as in incomplete
lacking some necessary part
a diet deficient in calcium can lead to weak bones
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deficient
The middle column is like being on a balance beam; knowing whether your lean is one side or another - deficient or excess - is essential for development.
—
Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
In 2022 Placer County dropped its approval after an appeals court found that its environmental report was deficient in four areas, including emergency evacuation analysis.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025
Choose Slow-Release for Nitrogen Of the three primary macronutrients—N, P, and K—nitrogen is most often deficient.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2025
The motion alleges that the lawsuit is deficient in many other ways.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
In 2022 Placer County dropped its approval after an appeals court found that its environmental report was deficient in four areas, including emergency evacuation analysis.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025
Choose Slow-Release for Nitrogen Of the three primary macronutrients—N, P, and K—nitrogen is most often deficient.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2025
The motion alleges that the lawsuit is deficient in many other ways.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficient
Adjective
-
If the data used to train an AI system is incomplete or skewed, the resulting insights can reinforce inequities rather than resolve them.—
Abhishek Gandotra,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The picture of the race is incomplete with so many more ballots left to tally.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Shapiro told reporters at a news conference on April 16 that regardless of the motivation for the crime, political violence must be condemned as unacceptable in our society.—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Tom Schwartz later says that the behavior is completely unacceptable, as does Jason.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But even one in three Republicans said their cost of living was on the wrong track, according to the poll, which surveyed 4,306 U.S. adults nationwide between April 16 and April 21.—
Jason Lange,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Picking the wrong blush can have your cheeks looking overly rosy or chalky.—
Celeste Polanco,
Essence,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Crafting the right prompt can mean the difference between receiving valuable output that streamlines your workflow or an inadequate response that leaves you frustrated.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Outside of ace Garrett Crochet, whose 1.38 ERA is currently eighth in MLB and third in the AL, Red Sox starters have been inadequate to say the least, with a collective 4.55 ERA — 22nd in MLB — and just four wins against eight defeats.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Some parents worry that Alexa's high tolerance for rudeness instills poor behavior in their kids, according to Quartz.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Then someone pointed a finger at a surprising culprit: the soldiers’ poor health.—
Maxim Sytch,
Harvard Business Review,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The representation of female directors in the five major film festivals, however, is still below 30%, according to the study, while recognition at top awards show such as the Oscars is still insufficient.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Significant obstacles remain: insufficient private investment, market fragmentation across 27 member states, and regulatory complexity could undermine Europe's ambitions.—
Federico Guerrini,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
-
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
-
That means more time for Rojas, who has shown more bad than good to begin this season.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Thankfully, the kittens were discovered and rescued right in time before something worse fell on them.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficient. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share