sufficient
As much as is needed; enough.
sufficient in a sentence
- One tin of paint should be just sufficient for a room this size, with none to spare.
- We packed just sufficient food for three days: nobody went hungry, but not a crumb was left over.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to sufficient?
- Alacking
- Bshort
- Cenough
- Dscarce
Show the answer
C: enough. The other three mean the opposite of sufficient.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to sufficient?
- Alacking
- Benough
- Cadequate
Show the answer
A: lacking. The other three mean nearly the same as sufficient.
Words that mean something similar
enough, adequate
Words that mean the opposite
lacking, scarce, short
Careful: sufficient is not ample
Ample is more than enough. Sufficient is just enough. Read why children mix them up.
More words about size & amount
- superfluous: More than is needed, and so not necessary.
- superior: Better, higher or more important than others.
- surplus: An amount left over when you have more than you need.
- swarm: A large moving crowd of insects or people.
- teem: To be completely full of moving things.
- throng: A large crowd of people packed together.
- tinge: A small amount of a colour or feeling.
- tremendous: Extremely large or extremely good.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test