inadequate
/ɪnˈadɪkwət
/adjective
1Lacking the quality or quantity required; insufficient for a purpose: these labels prove to be wholly inadequate inadequate funding...
- We accused her of giving inadequate funding to our schools but when we requested an interview she declined.
- He said government funding was inadequate and had failed to keep up with rising costs.
- The system appears to be inadequate for the present requirements of the village.
Synonyms
insufficient, not enough, deficient, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, sparse, too little, too few, short, in short supply;
paltry, meagre, niggardly;
skimpy, sketchy, incomplete, restricted, limited
informal measly, pathetic, piddling
rare exiguous
incompetent, incapable, unsatisfactory, not good enough, no good, found wanting, not up to scratch, lacking, leaving much to be desired, unfit, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficient, unskilful, inexpert, inept, unproficient, amateurish, substandard, poor, bad, hopeless, useless, inferior;
impotent, powerless
informal not up to snuff, lousy
British informal duff, not much cop, no great shakes
vulgar slang half-arsed
1.1(Of a person) unable to deal with a situation or with life: a sad, solitary, inadequate man I felt like a fraud, inadequate to the task...
- Roland, Gabriel and I had been prepared for this battle, but still we were inadequate.
- Valentine's day may be a conspiracy to make single people feel inadequate.
- The power to make and break little lives can sometimes make people feel inadequate and uncomfortable.