Meaning of “adequate” in the English Dictionary

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"adequate" in English

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adequateadjective

uk /ˈæd.ə.kwət/ us /ˈæd.ə.kwət/

B2 enough or satisfactory for a particular purpose:

Have we got adequate food for 20 guests?

I didn't have adequate time to prepare.

It's not a big salary but it's adequate for our needs.

The council's provision for the elderly is barely adequate (= is not enough).

[ + to infinitive ] Will future oil supplies be adequate to meet world needs?

Opposite

inadequate

More examples

Without the adequate provision of childcare, many women who wish to work are unable to do so.
New legislation still does not offer adequate protection for many endangered species.
They demanded adequate remuneration for their work.
Children need adequate amounts of nutritious foods to grow up strong and healthy.
Parents complained that the new school didn't have adequate resources to deal with the large amount of pupils.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Quite good, or not very good

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Enough

adequacy

noun [ U ] uk /ˈæd.ə.kwə.si/ us /ˈæd.ə.kwə.si/

›

The adequacy of public healthcare has been brought into question.

adequately

adverb uk /ˈæd.ə.kwət.li/ us /ˈæd.ə.kwət.li/

While some patients can be adequately cared for at home, others are best served by care in a hospital.

(Definition of “adequate” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"adequate" in American English

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(Definition of “adequate” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"adequate" in Business English

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(Definition of “adequate” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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adequate

How, though, are we to discharge our historic responsibility if we do not give refugees an adequate opportunity to explain their reasons for coming here?