deficient

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /dɪˈfɪʃənt/ UK /dɪˈfɪʃənt/ See IPA manual

Freq #35040

Meanings

1

adj
Not having enough of something that is needed.

Their diet was deficient in iron and vitamins.
2

adj
Not good enough; below an acceptable standard.

The report was deficient in both detail and accuracy.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not having enough of... lacking wanting insufficient

2 adj · not good enough; below an... inferiorsubstandard

Word family

Derived forms bideficientbiodeficientdeficientlydeficientnesshaplodeficienthyperdeficientimmunodeficientindeficientmultideficientnondeficientphosphodeficientpseudodeficient

Related forms defect defection defective defector deficiency deficit

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

grossly deficient
Lacking something important to a serious and obvious degree.

Adverb + adjective

Etymology

From Latin deficiens, present participle of deficere (“to lack, fail, be wanting”); see defect.

*dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# deficient

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈfɪʃənt/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈfɪʃənt/
**Frequency rank:** 35040

## Meanings
1. Not having enough of something that is needed.
2. Not good enough; below an acceptable standard.

## Examples
- Their diet was deficient in iron and vitamins.
- The report was deficient in both detail and accuracy.

## Derived Forms
- bideficient
- biodeficient
- deficiently
- deficientness
- haplodeficient
- hyperdeficient
- immunodeficient
- indeficient
- multideficient
- nondeficient
- phosphodeficient
- pseudodeficient

## Related Forms
- defect
- defection
- defective
- defector
- deficiency
- deficit

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *dʰeh₁-

## Etymology
From Latin deficiens, present participle of deficere (“to lack, fail, be wanting”); see defect.

## AI Etymology
Deficient is from Latin deficiens, present participle of deficere (“to lack, fail, be wanting”); see defect. Important recorded forms include *dʰeh₁- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include not having enough of something that is needed and not good enough; below an acceptable standard. The wider family includes derived forms such as bideficient, biodeficient, deficiently, deficientness, and haplodeficient; related words such as defect, defection, defective, and defector.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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