1
as in incomplete
lacking some necessary part
a diet deficient in calcium can lead to weak bones
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deficient
And on social media, influencers — many with medical or scientific degrees in their bios — claim that most people are woefully deficient.
—
Alice Callahan, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Those who are deficient in magnesium are more likely to have anemia.
—Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 8 May 2025
However, the team continues through the postseason, things could be tougher as other teams won't be as deficient in the frontcourt as the Lakers.
—Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
The skink, listed as data deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, had never officially been documented alive and in its natural habitat.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Alice Callahan, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Those who are deficient in magnesium are more likely to have anemia.
—Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 8 May 2025
However, the team continues through the postseason, things could be tougher as other teams won't be as deficient in the frontcourt as the Lakers.
—Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
The skink, listed as data deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, had never officially been documented alive and in its natural habitat.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficient
Adjective
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An extended hall leads to another long hall, ending with an incomplete chamber containing his burial well.—
Rosa Rahimi,
CNN Money,
27 May 2025
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Sandoval gripes off-target against the state’s high rate of hospice fraud, poor Medi-Cal reimbursement rates, incomplete data reporting and reports that never see the light of day.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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And sometimes the soldiers can do things which are totally unacceptable and can be called crimes.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
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Shamkhani underscored that the absence of sanctions relief rendered the U.S. plan unacceptable.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Don’t hire a sales person the conventional way Traditional sales hiring focuses on the wrong signals.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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For affluent Latino parents Enrique and Ilana Gomez, this moment goes hilariously wrong from the start, when their daughter Yoli invites her Mexican-born intended Marcos over to the family’s Pasadena home for dinner.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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And for many, forgiveness might seem an inadequate response, given available options like anger, bitterness, hatred, revenge, retribution.—
Kevin Sack,
Time,
3 June 2025
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Last December, a tiff erupted between billionaire entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, on the one side, and MAGA champions including Steve Bannon, over the formers’ claims that H-1B workers are needed because the homegrown tech workforce is inadequate.—
Alec MacGillis,
ProPublica,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Job Corps, established in 1964, provides education and vocational training to disadvantaged youth but has been criticized by the Labor Department for poor outcomes and safety issues.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
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Massive clouds of pollutants could collide in North Carolina this week and result in poor air quality conditions for millions.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Labor advocates say the strikers’ benefits bill is a necessary counter to the advantages most employers have at the bargaining table, especially since the Trump administration has left the National Labor Relations Board with insufficient members to act and shrunk the ranks of labor mediators.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2025
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The measure previously failed to pass a procedural hurdle due to insufficient Democratic support.—
Owen Tedford,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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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
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That cartilage injury was worse than expected, and Jiménez could miss all or most of this season rehabbing.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
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The Canadian fire situation Canada is having another bad wildfire season, and more than 27,000 people in three provinces have been forced to evacuate.—
Steve Karnowski,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficient. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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