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enough

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adjective

enough

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective enough contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of enough are adequate, competent, and sufficient. While all these words mean "being what is necessary or desirable," enough is less exact in suggestion than sufficient.

do you have enough food?

When would adequate be a good substitute for enough?

Although the words adequate and enough have much in common, adequate may imply barely meeting a requirement.

the service was adequate

When is it sensible to use competent instead of enough?

The words competent and enough can be used in similar contexts, but 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

When is sufficient a more appropriate choice than enough?

The synonyms sufficient and enough are sometimes interchangeable, but sufficient suggests a close meeting of a need.

sufficient savings

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 enough
Adverb
The Taurasi is big and earthy enough for the steak, with enough acidity to help cut through the richness of the meat. Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025 Because the people in charge didn’t pick the right players, and didn’t draft well enough with the leftover picks to fortify the roster. Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Here are the states with the strongest, weakest financial literacy The FINRA foundation reached enough respondents to rank all 50 states and the District of Columbia on financial literacy. Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025 He’s caused enough of a headache that Rey Mysterio challenged the newest luchador to a match at the event. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for enough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enough
Adverb
  • These strips are pretty comfortable to wear as well, not overly stiff and easy to manipulate around your nose and tuck into crevices.
    Daley Quinn, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2025
  • But he’s displayed some pretty serious character in the past month.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • So there’s a mutual agreement between the two, or mutual benefits, that are quite tolerable—or even pleasurable.
    Mark Holgate, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
  • The bowls are quite deep and narrow and aren’t super easy for cats to reach, which could cause whisker fatigue.
    Molly Higgins, Wired News, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • However, a second-inning RBI single from Grisham off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen proved to be sufficient after Fernando Cruz and Luke Weaver took care of the eighth and ninth innings.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2025
  • If your laundry is mostly made up of everyday household items that aren't heavily soiled or contaminated, a single hamper—especially a plastic one—should be sufficient, according to Ceconi.
    Katelyn Squiers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Taurus offers a peace rooted in gratitude, sufficiency, and care.
    Colin Bedell, Them., 18 Apr. 2025
  • Done right, the concept naturally corresponds with the principle of reasonable sufficiency.
    Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2015
Adverb
  • The forceful rebuke came after administration lawyers failed to adequately answer a list of 15 questions and document requests submitted by Abrego Garcia's legal team—questions aimed at determining what, if anything, the White House has done to secure his release from Salvadoran custody.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
  • But if ecologists aren’t involved in such efforts, who would collect the data needed to adequately assess the environmental impacts of industry? Answering questions about how scientists can best work with industry when the groups have different aims in mind isn’t always easy.
    Christian Elliott, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • Sinners cost $90 million to make before marketing, a relatively hefty price tag for a genre movie (Creed‘s budget was $50 million).
    Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Actual economic data has remained relatively resilient despite the tariff storm.
    Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • Keep your access fully charged for just $2.50 $1 per month for one year.
    Ben Dowsett, Wired News, 21 Apr. 2025
  • American Oversight originally filed its lawsuit over the use of Signal last month and secured an order requiring the Trump administration to preserve the messages; however, in the weeks since Judge James Boasberg issued his order, multiple Cabinet-levels have been unable to fully save the messages.
    Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But as the mental health conditions among youth have become increasingly severe following the COVID-19 pandemic, more families are turning to desperate measures to find adequate care for their children.
    Michaela Ramm, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Although emergency departments might have adequate staff at off times, other hospital resources might be limited at night and on weekends, which could be a problem in these emergencies, Johns said.
    Neha Mukherjee, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Enough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enough. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

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