sufficiently
suh-FIH-shuhnt-lee
Sufficiently (adv) means to an adequate or sufficient degree; enough. Example: “The water was not sufficiently warm for a comfortable swim.”
adv
1
To an adequate or sufficient degree; enough.
"The water was not sufficiently warm for a comfortable swim."
"She felt sufficiently prepared to take the exam the next morning."
"Make sure the meat is sufficiently cooked before serving."
"I prefer to think that birds have a sufficiently developed sense of humour to enjoy the spectacle of a human being hunched beneath a bush kissing the back of their hand."
— Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book (1980)
"Once we had eaten and drunk sufficiently, we went to bed."
How to use sufficiently
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEnough, or to a large enough extent.
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Word forms
- Comparative
- more sufficiently
- Superlative
- most sufficiently
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The water was not _____ warm for a comfortable swim.
Etymology
Formed from sufficient plus -ly.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
insufficiently
Related words
Rhymes for sufficiently
gently
recently
fluently
urgently
silently
intently
patently
decently
currently
fervently
patiently
evidently
See all rhymes for sufficiently →
Frequently asked questions
What does “sufficiently” mean?
The word “sufficiently” means to an adequate or sufficient degree; enough. In plain terms, enough, or to a large enough extent.
How do you pronounce “sufficiently”?
“Sufficiently” is pronounced suh-FIH-shuhnt-lee (/səˈfɪʃəntli/ in IPA).
How do you use “sufficiently” in a sentence?
Here is “sufficiently” used in a sentence: “Make sure the meat is sufficiently cooked before serving.”
What part of speech is “sufficiently”?
“Sufficiently” is an adverb.
Is “sufficiently” a common word?
“Sufficiently” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
What is the difference between sufficiently and enough?
Sufficiently and enough both mean to an adequate degree, but sufficiently is more formal and typically placed before an adjective, as in 'sufficiently warm,' while enough is more casual and usually placed after the adjective, as in 'warm enough.'
Is sufficiently a formal word?
Yes, sufficiently tends to sound more formal than everyday alternatives like 'enough' or 'adequately,' making it common in academic, legal, or technical writing rather than casual speech.
Where does sufficiently go in a sentence relative to the adjective it modifies?
Sufficiently is placed directly before the adjective or adverb it modifies, as in 'sufficiently clear' or 'sufficiently well-prepared,' unlike 'enough,' which follows the adjective instead.
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