When we question the adequacy of health-care coverage, or parking facilities, or school funding, we're asking if they are equal to our need. The adjective adequate means "enough" or "acceptable"—though in sentences like "His performance was adequate", it really means "no better than acceptable".
the fire department sent someone to determine the adequacy of the building's evacuation plan
Recent Examples on the WebThe war is causing worries about the adequacy of energy supplies around the world. David Sharp, ajc, 28 Aug. 2022 The war is causing worries about the adequacy of energy supplies around the world. David Sharp, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2022 The war is causing worries about the adequacy of energy supplies around the world. David Sharp, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2022 How frequently are cyber response procedures reviewed, audited and tested to ensure their clarity, adequacy, effectiveness and efficiency? Noah Barsky, Forbes, 10 Aug. 2022 Its Guidance on the Issuance of U.S. Dollar-Backed Stablecoins discusses conditions to confirm adequate backing and ensure redeemability, reserve requirements, and independent periodic audits to provide attestation to the adequacy of reserves. Diana Barrero Zalles, Forbes, 28 June 2022 The Corporation Commission's preliminary agenda for its June 28 meeting includes an item regarding the investigation of the Frontier Companies in Arizona regarding 911 outages and the adequacy of its equipment and facilities. Lacey Latch, The Arizona Republic, 15 June 2022 The plan’s adequacy may soon be tested if the United States sees the same sharp increase in coronavirus cases now bedeviling Europe, a possibility federal officials are anticipating.Anchorage Daily News, 22 Mar. 2022 The adequacy of food supplies has long been a top issue in China, where tens of millions of people died of famine in the early 1960s during Mao’s disastrous agricultural experiments.New York Times, 11 May 2022 See More