What does "deficiency" mean?
Inadequacy or incompleteness.
Deficiency
/dɪˈfɪʃənsi/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Inadequacy or incompleteness.
- Grammar: deficiency is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: inadequacy, insufficiency, lack, absence.
- Useful contrasts: academic achievements, extra, abundance.
- Usage evidence: Body temperature rising, pulse rising ... he's in a state of oxygen deficiency.
How to use "deficiency"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "deficiency" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "deficiency" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "deficiency" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "deficiency" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "deficiency" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "inadequacy" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "deficiency", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Inadequacy or incompleteness. uncountable
"The face which emerged was not reassuring.[…]. He was not a mongol but there was a deficiency of a sort there, and it was not made more pretty by a latter-day hair cut which involved eccentrically long elf-locks and oiled black curls."
- 2 lack of an adequate quantity or number wordnet
- 3 An insufficiency, especially of something essential to health. countable
"One of academia’s deficiencies is that, though its lecture halls and graduate schools are replete with women, its higher echelons are not. Often, this is seen as a phenomenon specific to the sciences. … In fact, the disparity applies to the whole grove. Another report from 2006, by the American Association of University Professors, found the same ratio in the faculties of arts, humanities and social science, too."
- 4 the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable wordnet
- 5 The amount by which the number of double points on a curve is short of the maximum for curves of the same degree. countable, uncountable
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The codimension of a linear system in the corresponding complete linear system. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Body temperature rising, pulse rising ... he's in a state of oxygen deficiency."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "deficiency"?
Common synonyms include: inadequacy, insufficiency, lack, absence, absences, absences of evidence.
How do you use "deficiency" in a sentence?
Body temperature rising, pulse rising ... he's in a state of oxygen deficiency.
How do you pronounce "deficiency"?
Pronounced /dɪˈfɪʃənsi/.
Etymology
From deficient + -cy. Compare Latin dēficientia.