Deficient — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /di-ˈfi-shənt/ de·fi·cient

Meaning & Definition of Deficient

Deficient (adjective)

  1. lacking in some necessary quality or element
  2. not up to a normal standard or complement, defective

Deficient (noun)

  1. a person or thing that is deficient

Deficient (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. lacking some necessary part

    "a diet deficient in calcium can lead to weak bones"

    similar: fragmental, fragmentary, half, halfway, incomplete, partial
    related: broken, damaged, flawed, impaired, imperfect, injured, marred, spoiled, sketchy, unassembled, uncompleted, unfinished
    opposite: complete, entire, full, intact, integral, perfect, whole
    near: flawless, unbroken, undamaged, unimpaired, uninjured, unmarred, completed, finished

  2. falling short of a standard

    "woefully deficient eyesight kept him out of military service"

    similar: bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack (slang), wanting, wretched, wrong, below par, from hunger
    related: abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin' (slang), brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly (slang), horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky (slang), terrible, unspeakable, defective, faulty, flawed, egregious, flagrant, gross, bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, reprehensible, rotten, rubbishy, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy, abominable, odious, vile, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, meager, mean, miserly, scanty, shabby, short, skimp, skimpy, spare, stingy, miscreant, scurrilous, villainous, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham
    opposite: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable
    near: classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss (slang), capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, sufficient, average, borderline, fair, mediocre, middling, minimal, so-so, unexceptional, suitable, useful, worthy, gratifying, satisfying

  3. not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need

    "too deficient in common sense to be trusted to stay by himself"

    similar: inadequate, insufficient, lacking, low, scarce, short, shy, wanting
    related: substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, hand-to-mouth, lean, light, meager, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, bare, mere, minimum, slight, small
    opposite: adequate, enough, sufficient
    near: abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plenitudinous, enlarged, expanded, supplemented, abounding, overflowing, teeming, satisfactory, tolerable, lavish, luxuriant, rich, big, considerable, hefty, jumbo, king-size, large, largish, oversize, sizable, substantial, super

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Deficient

The most common words with a similar meaning to Deficient:

Slang: wack
fragmental, fragmentary, half, halfway, incomplete, partial, bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting, wretched, wrong, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, low, scarce, short, shy, below par, from hunger

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Deficient

Words with the opposite meaning of Deficient:

complete, entire, full, intact, integral, perfect, whole, acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable, enough, sufficient

Related Words for Deficient

broken, damaged, flawed, impaired, imperfect, injured, marred, spoiled, sketchy, unassembled, uncompleted, unfinished, abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin', brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly, horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky, terrible

Near Antonyms of Deficient

flawless, unbroken, undamaged, unimpaired, uninjured, unmarred, completed, finished, classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss, capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen

Word Forms of Deficient

Derived words: deficiently (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Deficient

borrowed from Latin dēficient-, dēficiens, present participle of dēficere "to leave without enough, let down, be lacking, run short, fail," from dē- de- + facere "to make, bring about, perform, do" fact

First known use: 1581

Frequently Asked Questions about Deficient

What does "Deficient" mean?

"Deficient" means lacking in some necessary quality or element. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: lacking in some necessary quality or element. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Deficient"?

Other words for "Deficient" include fragmental, fragmentary, half, halfway, incomplete, partial, bad and bastard. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Deficient" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Deficient"?

There are 128 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Deficient". Common alternatives include fragmental, fragmentary, half, halfway, incomplete, partial, bad, bastard, bush and bush-league.

What is the opposite of "Deficient"?

Antonyms of "Deficient" include complete, entire, full, intact, integral, perfect, whole and acceptable. Near antonyms include flawless, unbroken, undamaged and unimpaired.

How do you use "Deficient" in a sentence?

Examples of "Deficient" in a sentence: "a diet deficient in calcium can lead to weak bones"; "woefully deficient eyesight kept him out of military service"; "too deficient in common sense to be trusted to stay by himself".

Is "Deficient" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Deficient" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Deficient"?

"Deficient" is pronounced /di-ˈfi-shənt/ and divided into syllables as de·fi·cient.

What is the origin of the word "Deficient"?

"Deficient" comes from borrowed from Latin dēficient-, dēficiens, present participle of dēficere "to leave without enough, let down, be lacking, run short, fail," from dē- de- + facere "to make, bring about, perform, do" fact. First known use: 1581.