Inadequacy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɪˈnædɪkwəsi/

Definitions

1. A state characterized by a failure to meet necessary standards or expectations, often resulting in feelings of deficiency or a lack of competence
2. The condition in which standards or expectations are not fulfilled, leading to a perception of deficiency or ineffectiveness
3. The quality or state of being insufficient or not good enough to meet needs or demands

Etymology: Inadequacy is a plain formation in English: it is built from "inadequate" plus the noun suffix "-cy", or alternatively from the prefix "in-" attached to "adequacy". Either route leads back to the same Latin material, "adaequatus", the past participle of "adaequare", meaning "to make equal to" or "to equalise". Adequate, in its original sense, described something that matched a measure exactly, so the word's core idea is one of fit between a thing and what it must accomplish. The negative sense developed as English turned "adequate" from "exactly equal" into "sufficient for a purpose". Once "adequate" carried that sense, its opposite could describe anything that fell short of the measure, which is how "inadequacy" came to name the state of falling short, not merely the lack of something.

Synonyms: insufficiency, deficiency, shortcoming, incompetence, failure

Antonyms: adequacy, sufficiency, competence, success, achievement