insufficiency

[ in-suh-fish-uhn-see ]
See synonyms for insufficiency on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural in·suf·fi·cien·cies for 2.
  1. deficiency in amount, force, power, competence, or fitness; inadequacy: insufficiency of supplies.

  2. an instance of this.

  1. inability of an organ or other part of the body to function normally: cardiac insufficiency.

Origin of insufficiency

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Late Latin word insufficientia.See insufficient, -ency
  • Also in·suf·fi·cience .

Other words from insufficiency

  • self-in·suf·fi·cien·cy, noun, plural self·-in·suf·fi·cien·cies.

Words Nearby insufficiency

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use insufficiency in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for insufficiency

insufficiency

/ (ˌɪnsəˈfɪʃənsɪ) /


noun
  1. Also called: insufficience the state of being insufficient

  2. pathol failure in the functioning of an organ, tissue, etc: cardiac insufficiency

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