Deficient meaning

dĭ-fĭsh'ənt
Lacking an essential quality or element.

Deficient in common sense.

adjective
2
1
A deficient person or thing.
noun
0
0
Lacking something essential; often construed with in.
adjective
0
0
adjective
0
0
The definition of deficient is a person of thing that is incomplete or lacking something needed.

An example of deficient is a person who does not have enought iron; the person is iron deficient.

adjective
0
1
Advertisement
Inadequate in amount or degree; insufficient.

A deficient education.

adjective
0
1
Lacking in some essential; incomplete; defective.
adjective
0
1
Inadequate in amount, quality, or degree; not sufficient.
adjective
0
1

Origin of deficient

  • Latin dēficiēns dēficient- present participle of dēficere to fail, be wanting defect
    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
  • From Latin deficiens, present participle of deficere (“to lack, fail, be wanting”); see defect.
    From Wiktionary

Deficient Sentence Examples

  • They are both deficient in solidity and in permanent interest.

  • Fortunately Frederick had never been deficient in courage.

  • Although deficient in technical training, he handled with great skill the difficult problems which were presented by the Civil War.

  • In 1795, under the joint operation of a deficient harvest and the diminution in foreign supplies of grain owing to outbreak of war, the price of wheat, which, for the twenty preceding years, had been under 50s.

  • These hybrids produce a lint which is long and silky, but often deficient in strength: selection for strength amongst the hybrids, with due regard to length, may overcome this.

More sentences →

Related articles

Words near deficient in the Dictionary