sufficient
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
having as much as you need for a particular purpose.
adequate to any proposed design or end; satisfying requirements or needs.
Simple“The team had sufficient time to finish the project before the deadline.”
In context“The prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt.”
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'for' or a 'to-infinitive' clause.
PitfallWe have sufficient of food for the week. We have sufficient food for the week.Do not use 'of' after 'sufficient' when it is followed directly by a noun.
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
having the right skills or power to do a job.
possessing adequate talents, accomplishments, or legal power; competent and fit for a purpose.
Simple“He proved himself sufficient for the difficult task of leading the company.”
In context“The candidate was deemed sufficient in her technical expertise, though her interpersonal skills required further development.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is less common in modern speech; 'competent' or 'capable' is usually preferred in professional contexts.
sufficient vs adequate — Sufficient means you have the right amount; adequate means that amount is just good enough to pass.
sufficient vs efficient — Efficient is about how well a task is performed with minimal waste, while sufficient is simply about having enough of something to meet a need.
Usage concurrent sufficient · sufficient condition · sufficient data
“Nearly half of the players (48.4%) in the group said current cooling breaks were sufficient to protect players, while only 15.3% said the current policies were sufficient.”
“But this is not sufficient to wage a broad operation.”
From Old French sufisanz, soficient, from Latin sufficiēns, present participle of sufficiō.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.