1
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
the inadequacy of our servings was soon apparent, as hungry guests started clamoring for seconds
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inability
the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means
tried to blame others in order to hide the inadequacy of his leadership
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inadequacy
Enter RapidSOS RapidSOS was founded in 2012 by CEO Michael Martin, who built the company out of MIT after a personal brush with the inadequacy of 911 infrastructure.
—
Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
The gap between your real autobiography and your synthetically infused, commercially tainted one drives a pervasive sense of inadequacy, as your actual life fails to live up to a narrative identity that was never yours to begin with.
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
There’s an inherent inadequacy of the English language to fully illustrate how great this bar is.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2026
Now, watching back, Fishel said those feelings of inadequacy almost ended her on-camera career moving forward.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inadequacy
Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
The gap between your real autobiography and your synthetically infused, commercially tainted one drives a pervasive sense of inadequacy, as your actual life fails to live up to a narrative identity that was never yours to begin with.
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
There’s an inherent inadequacy of the English language to fully illustrate how great this bar is.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2026
Now, watching back, Fishel said those feelings of inadequacy almost ended her on-camera career moving forward.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inadequacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadequacy
Noun
-
Right now, there’s no shortage of competition.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The shortage is particularly acute in the Philippines, which has declared a national state of energy emergency and risks running out of fuel.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
Noun
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The sources claimed staffing was insufficient and that staff members were poorly trained, and that an inability to handle the massive volume of patient and provider data jeopardized coverage for millions.—
Jason Kane,
NBC news,
6 May 2026
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Faced with that reality, our inability to relate to one another becomes almost obscene.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Staff and managers complained about the lack of specifics, as did legal-services providers and advocacy groups.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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Pratt took aim at Bass over the lack of water available during the inferno, with fire hydrants running dry.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Common vitamin D deficiency symptoms include fatigue, muscle weakness, bone pain, frequent illness and low mood.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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Correcting a deficiency is one of the lowest-effort, highest-return moves in everyday health optimization — and the research behind it keeps getting more compelling.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inadequacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadequacy. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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