What does "enough" mean?

1. (sufficient amount) as much as you need or want. 2. (to a sufficient degree) to the necessary degree or level. 3. (a sufficient number or amount) the amount or number that is needed. 4. (quite or very) used after an adjective to mean 'quite' or 'fairly'.

How do you use "enough"?

Placed before the noun it modifies. Placed after the adjective or adverb it modifies.

Is it correct to say "I don't have money enough for the ticket."?

No — say "I don't have enough money for the ticket.". When used with a noun, 'enough' usually comes before the noun.

Is it correct to say "The water is enough warm for a bath."?

No — say "The water is warm enough for a bath.". When used with an adjective or adverb, 'enough' must come after the word it describes.

enough

det. · adv. · pron.

US //iˈnəf// UK //ɪnˈʌf// enough

1 sufficient amount (det.)
A1 Beginner

as much as you need or want.

functioning as a determiner to indicate a sufficient quantity of a noun.

Example

Do we have enough eggs to make a cake for the party?

Example

The rescue team did not have enough supplies to remain on the mountain for another night, forcing them to retreat before the storm arrived.

Usage

Placed before the noun it modifies.
- sufficient
- adequate
- insufficient
- inadequate
Pitfall

I don't have money enough for the ticket.

I don't have enough money for the ticket.

When used with a noun, 'enough' usually comes before the noun.
2 to a sufficient degree (adv.)
A1 Beginner

to the necessary degree or level.

functioning as an adverb to indicate that a quality or action reaches a required threshold.

Example

Is the water warm enough for you, or should I add more hot water?

Example

The candidate did not speak clearly enough for the audience at the back of the hall to hear the policy proposals.

Usage

Placed after the adjective or adverb it modifies.
- sufficiently
- adequately
- insufficiently
Pitfall

The water is enough warm for a bath.

The water is warm enough for a bath.

When used with an adjective or adverb, 'enough' must come after the word it describes.

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3 a sufficient number or amount (pron.)
A2 Elementary

the amount or number that is needed.

functioning as a pronoun representing a sufficient quantity or number of something previously mentioned.

Example

I've had enough to eat, thank you; the meal was delicious.

Example

While some critics argued for further investment, the board decided that enough had been spent on the project already.
- plenty
- sufficiency
- dearth
- lack
4 quite or very (adv.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

used after an adjective to mean 'quite' or 'fairly'.

used as a post-modifier to express a moderate or high degree of a quality, often with a pragmatic nuance of irony or emphasis.

Example

The instructions were simple enough, but I still managed to make a mistake.

Example

The results were promising enough to justify a second round of clinical trials, though the researchers remained cautious about the long-term data.

Origin

From Middle English ynogh, from Old English ġenōg (“enough”), from Proto-Germanic ganōgaz (“enough”) (compare Scots eneuch, West Frisian genôch, Dutch genoeg, German genug, Low German (ge)noog, Danish nok, Swedish nog, Icelandic nógur), from ganuganą 'to suffice' (compare Old English ġeneah), or from ga- + an unattested nōgaz, probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂eh₂nó(n)ḱe (“he has reached, attained”), perfective of h₂neḱ- (“to reach”) (compare Old Irish tánaic (“he arrived”), Latin nancisci (“to get”), Albanian kënaq (“to please, satisfy”).).

Idioms15 entries