insufficient

«insufficient» in Mova's school dictionary: not enough; less than what is needed — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (formal)

meaning for a pupil

1) Insufficient means not enough; less than what is needed. tree →

2) (formal) Used about evidence, money, time or effort that does not meet a need. tree →

sense in the lessons

Used in formal writing, exams and messages: «insufficient funds», «insufficient evidence», «insufficient time». It tells the reader something is short of what is needed.

examples

• There was insufficient water for all the plants. tree →
• The bank said there were insufficient funds. tree →
• The police had insufficient evidence. tree →
• The answer gave insufficient detail. tree →
• Insufficient sleep can make you tired and grumpy. tree →
• There were insufficient chairs for everyone. tree →
• The vessel, you must understand, was so long, and broad, and ponderous, that the united force of all the fifty was insufficient to shove her into the water. tree →

note

Formal; everyday talk says «not enough». Opposite: sufficient. «An insufficient» (vowel sound). In maths, «insufficient» means the amount is less than needed: if 30 chairs are needed and 24 are there, they are 6 short.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «insufficient» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.