inadequacies

NOUN

shortage, defect, inability

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dearth deficiency failing flaw imperfection incapacity ineffectiveness inefficiency ineptitude insufficiency paucity shortcoming weakness

STRONG

blemish defalcation defectiveness deficit drawback faultiness inadequateness inaptness incompetence incompetency incompleteness ineffectualness inefficacy lack meagerness poverty scantiness unfitness unsuitableness

WEAK

skimpiness underage

Antonyms

STRONGEST

abundance advantage perfection plenty strength strong point sufficiency

STRONG

enough excess extra

WEAK

ability adequacy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Marilyn’s reading formed a concerted effort to overcome any inadequacies she perceived in herself,” Crowther writes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2026

But in practice, it has often led to long environmental reports, studies and reviews, that are sometimes followed by lawsuits over possible inadequacies that can require a restart.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025

Aside from staffing inadequacies, controllers have warned that antiquated technology has made their jobs more challenging.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

He will speak of "the inadequacies of those who talk a good game, but whose words are never embodied in action".

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2024

Instead, he possessed a mind capable of tinkering with things just enough to make them impossibly confusing and himself so dissatisfied with his own intellectual inadequacies that he would never be happy.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols