adequately
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of adequately
Explanation
Something has been done adequately when basic requirements are fulfilled. Passing your driver's test probably means you parallel parked adequately; if not, you may have knocked over some cones. The adverb adequately is a synonym for sufficiently, or suitably. If you've adequately fulfilled your course requirements, you're probably neither the best nor the worst student in the class. But you've definitely done well enough that you can pass — so doing something adequately is generally a positive thing, unless you're an overachiever, in which case you might not like that description at all!
Vocabulary lists containing adequately
The Giver
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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Word Generation Weekly - Series 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sanchez's government and the Catholic Church in Spain signed an agreement in March to compensate victims after years of complaints that religious leaders had failed to tackle the issue adequately.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
"The department was not satisfied that the potential impacts and risks of the project could be adequately assessed or managed," he added.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
Genco once again rejected that claim Tuesday, saying it remains willing to again meet with Diana “if and when they submit an offer that adequately compensates shareholders for the full underlying value of Genco’s assets.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
That ground seems adequately covered in popular culture.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
“But that doesn’t answer Rahajamati’s point that—” “This is not the time or place to go into that. I’m certain all of these points will be adequately dealt with in tomorrow s session.”
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
