deficiency | ||
1. | [ noun ] the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable | |
Synonyms: | lack want | |
Examples: | "there is a serious lack of insight into the problem" "water is the critical deficiency in desert regions" "for want of a nail the shoe was lost" |
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Related terms: | need absence dearth stringency sideropenia mineral_deficiency want | |
2. | [ noun ] lack of an adequate quantity or number | |
Synonyms: | inadequacy insufficiency | |
Examples: | "the inadequacy of unemployment benefits" |
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Related terms: | sufficiency sufficiency amount deficit scarcity meagerness | |
Similar spelling: |
deficient devising |