ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsDdeficient
ISEE/SSATmedium
deficient
Meaning: lacking a necessary quality or amount
deficient in a sentence
How deficient is used in real sentences:
A diet deficient in vitamin C can eventually lead to health problems.
After the lab results came back, the doctor explained that the patient's diet was deficient in iron and recommended a supplement.
“Because her paper was deficient in open space, Vale layered some lines between older notes, creating conversations across years.”
— from the passage Writing at the Edges
Synonyms for deficient
Other words for deficient — inadequate, insufficient and lacking — carry the same meaning.
- inadequate
- insufficient
- lacking
Antonyms of deficient
Words that mean the opposite of deficient:
Where it comes from
From Latin deficere 'to fail, be wanting'
Word parts
- fac/fect — make, do
deficient: de- (away, down) + fic (make) + -ient
Memory hook
Think DEFICIT — a deficient supply has a shortfall, just like a budget deficit.