Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

adequate

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
adjective American English pronunciation: adequate /ˈædəkwət/
  1. 1
    good enough or large enough for a particular purpose

    The state has an adequate supply of trained teachers.

    adequate for:

    The house is perfectly adequate for just the two of us.

    adequate to do something:

    The existing law is adequate to deal with the problem.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  adequateThesaurus entry for this meaning of adequate

derived word

adequately

adverb

The program is adequately funded at this time.

This is the American English definition of adequate. View British English definition of adequate.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

simile

a phrase that describes something by comparing it to something else using the word...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog