Deficiently — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

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

Meaning & Definition of Deficiently

Deficiently (adjective)

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

Deficiently (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. in an unsatisfactory way

    "the road to the mountain lodge is so deficiently marked that we had a terrible time finding it"

    similar: bad, badly, inadequately, lousily, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily, wretchedly
    related: abysmally, atrociously, awfully, damnably, deplorably, detestably, disastrously, dreadfully, execrably, horrendously, horribly, horrifically, rottenly, terribly, intolerably, unbearably, inappropriately, incorrectly, indecently, reprehensibly, unsuitably, vulgarly, naughtily, egregiously, flagrantly, grossly, miserably, shoddily, sleazily, trashily, unspeakably, abominably, odiously, vilely, inferiorly, insufficiently, meagerly, meanly, scantily, scantly, shabbily, skimpily, sparely, stingily
    opposite: acceptably, adequately, all right, fine, good, nicely, OK, palatably, passably, satisfactorily, so-so, tolerably, well
    near: appropriately, congruously, correctly, decently, decorously, felicitously, fittingly, meetly, rightly, seemly, suitably, exactly, faithfully, ideally, precisely, respectably, gratifyingly, satisfyingly

Related Entry: Deficient (adjective)

Deficient is a different word from Deficiently. The synonyms below are for deficient, not for deficiently.

  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 Deficiently

The most common words with a similar meaning to Deficiently:

bad, badly, inadequately, lousily, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily, wretchedly

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Deficiently

Words with the opposite meaning of Deficiently:

acceptably, adequately, all right, fine, good, nicely, OK, palatably, passably, satisfactorily, so-so, tolerably, well

Related Words for Deficiently

abysmally, atrociously, awfully, damnably, deplorably, detestably, disastrously, dreadfully, execrably, horrendously, horribly, horrifically, rottenly, terribly, intolerably, unbearably, inappropriately, incorrectly, indecently, reprehensibly, unsuitably, vulgarly, naughtily, egregiously, flagrantly, grossly, miserably, shoddily, sleazily, trashily

Near Antonyms of Deficiently

appropriately, congruously, correctly, decently, decorously, felicitously, fittingly, meetly, rightly, seemly, suitably, exactly, faithfully, ideally, precisely, respectably, gratifyingly, satisfyingly

Word Forms of Deficiently

Derived words: deficiently (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Deficiently

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 Deficiently

What does "Deficiently" mean?

"Deficiently" means lacking in some necessary quality or element. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: lacking in some necessary quality or element.

What is another word for "Deficiently"?

Other words for "Deficiently" include bad, badly, inadequately, lousily, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily and wretchedly. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Deficiently" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Deficiently"?

There are 52 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Deficiently". Common alternatives include bad, badly, inadequately, lousily, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily and wretchedly.

What is the opposite of "Deficiently"?

Antonyms of "Deficiently" include acceptably, adequately, all right, fine, good, nicely, OK and palatably. Near antonyms include appropriately, congruously, correctly and decently.

How do you use "Deficiently" in a sentence?

Examples of "Deficiently" in a sentence: "the road to the mountain lodge is so deficiently marked that we had a terrible time finding it".

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

"Deficiently" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Deficiently"?

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

What is the origin of the word "Deficiently"?

"Deficiently" 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.