sufficiency

noun

suf·​fi·​cien·​cy sə-ˈfi-shən(t)-sē How to pronounce sufficiency (audio)
plural sufficiencies
1
: sufficient means to meet one's needs : competency
also : a modest but adequate scale of living
2
: the quality or state of being sufficient : adequacy

Examples of sufficiency in a Sentence

the sufficiency of the portions is such that you will leave the restaurant with a full stomach but without doggie bags
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Here, the Kremlin is likely to adopt an approach that corresponds with the Soviet principle of reasonable sufficiency. Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2015 And as climate change supercharges hurricanes, which are fueled by warm water and air, the sufficiency of the system's five categories is increasingly coming into question. Alec Luhn, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024 The company, sanctioned by the U.S., is positioning itself at the forefront of China’s drive for self sufficiency. Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2024 But saying a high replacement rate of a very low income (which is what incomes are right before retirement typically) is surely a poor way to judge sufficiency. Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sufficiency 

Word History

Etymology

earlier sufficience in same sense (going back to Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Late Latin sufficientia, from Latin sufficient-, sufficiens sufficient + -ia -ia entry 1) + -ency

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sufficiency was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near sufficiency

Cite this Entry

“Sufficiency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sufficiency. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

sufficiency

noun
suf·​fi·​cien·​cy sə-ˈfish-ən-sē How to pronounce sufficiency (audio)
plural sufficiencies
1
: sufficient means to meet one's needs
2
: the quality or state of being sufficient : adequacy

Legal Definition

sufficiency

noun
suf·​fi·​cien·​cy
: the quality or state of being sufficient
the sufficiency of the evidence to convict

More from Merriam-Webster on sufficiency

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