as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
an inadequate amount of food on hand for so many unexpected guests
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of inadequate
The establishment had health hazards including raw food stored over cooked food, inadequate hand-washing facilities, expired food items and a lack of food-handler certifications.
—
Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Jan. 2025
Puerto Rico's electric grid was troubled even before Maria, a consequence of inadequate maintenance and years of underinvestment.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024
Farmers in developing nations face challenges such as low productivity, limited market access, inadequate risk management tools and restricted financial resources.
—Stefano Carganico, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
One study in 2020 found that inadequate nutrition can significantly contribute to fatigue in older adults.7
Personality Traits
Individuals who are high achievers may struggle to fully relax, said Ahrabi-Nejad.
—Caitlin Pagán, Verywell Health, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inadequate 
Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Jan. 2025
Puerto Rico's electric grid was troubled even before Maria, a consequence of inadequate maintenance and years of underinvestment.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024
Farmers in developing nations face challenges such as low productivity, limited market access, inadequate risk management tools and restricted financial resources.
—Stefano Carganico, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
One study in 2020 found that inadequate nutrition can significantly contribute to fatigue in older adults.7
Personality Traits
Individuals who are high achievers may struggle to fully relax, said Ahrabi-Nejad.
—Caitlin Pagán, Verywell Health, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inadequate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadequate
Adjective
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Regulators reported that the vehicles collided with objects because users had insufficient reaction time to prevent the crashes, either due to limited visibility or delays in releasing the phone app button, which halts the vehicle's movement.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
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There is insufficient halfway house and many case managers, the primary BOP employees implementing the program, remain confused over the exact interpretation of the law.Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Harmonizing data within an organization minimizes redundancies, improves data governance, serves as a single source of truth, and makes better use of scarce resources.Jan Gilg, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
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The fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands, forcing many into overcrowded camps with scarce resources.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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While the current health risk for the general public remains low, people who work with birds, poultry or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk.Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
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People’s participation in both formal and informal service remains low.Alice Park, TIME, 7 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to inadequate
Thesaurus Entries Near inadequate
Cite this Entry
“Inadequate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadequate. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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