enough 1 of 3

adverb

Definition of enoughnext
1
as in sufficiently
in or to a degree or quantity that meets one's requirements or satisfaction the elevator is big enough to hold everyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pretty
to some degree or extent I can play the piano well enough, but I have no hope for a musical career

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in quite
to a full extent or degree I think we're prepared enough—we just lack the will to actually do it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

enough

2 of 3

adjective

as in sufficient

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Dissimilar Words

enough

3 of 3

noun

as in sufficiency

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective enough contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of enough are adequate, competent, and sufficient. While all these words mean "being what is necessary or desirable," enough is less exact in suggestion than sufficient.

do you have enough food?

When would adequate be a good substitute for enough?

Although the words adequate and enough have much in common, adequate may imply barely meeting a requirement.

the service was adequate

When is it sensible to use competent instead of enough?

The words competent and enough can be used in similar contexts, but competent suggests measuring up to all requirements without question or being adequately adapted to an end.

had no competent notion of what was going on

When is sufficient a more appropriate choice than enough?

The synonyms sufficient and enough are sometimes interchangeable, but sufficient suggests a close meeting of a need.

sufficient savings

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of enough
Adverb
The precedent for what happens when that capital moves quickly is March 2020, when a rapid unwind of leveraged positions contributed to a breakdown of Treasury-market liquidity severe enough to require Federal Reserve intervention. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 As a runner and dairy enthusiast myself, I was intrigued but skeptical — surely the jostling of your body wasn’t enough to actually churn butter. — Matt Clough, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Adjective
Havenith recommends garments with enough room for ventilation, especially in hot outdoor conditions. — Aya Diab, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The Cozy is a great room option for solo travelers or a couple looking for a lower price point (there’s still a large bathroom and walk-in closet), while The Garden Suites have enough space to settle in, bring a friend, and stay a while. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2026
Noun
Three of the associations - including the largest, the Dallas Police Association - believe the city is not doing enough to improve pay. — Briseida Holguin, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026 What’s more, many schools aren’t doing enough to support students’ well-being. — Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for enough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enough
  1. sufficiently
  2. pretty
  3. quite
  4. sufficient
  5. sufficiency
  6. adequately
  7. relatively
  8. fully
Adverb
  • In an unsigned opinion, a majority of the justices said the administration is likely to win its argument that the group suing to stop construction cannot show its been sufficiently harmed.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Other speakers, including those who work in public service, asked the board to sufficiently fund public programs that have long had to go without sufficient funding.
    — Sofi Zeman August 31, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of sufficiently
Adverb
  • This pretty green bottle holds a luxe Korean formula inspired by their iconic scalp treatments.
    — Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Another angle to factor in is that Baltimore and Cincinnati have pretty low floors.
    — Austin Mock, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of pretty
Adverb
  • It's been quite a disappointing year for home shoppers who waited since 2023 for rates to cool off.
    — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • However, the approach is marred by low throughput, and the process is also quite complex to execute.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of quite
Adjective
  • Rather than immediately exposing maneuver forces to direct contact, Russian commanders typically first attempt to inflict sufficient losses on Ukrainian defenders to make the subsequent assault more manageable.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The harder problem is locating and tracking moving targets with sufficient precision, why is why better intelligence, including potentially from partners such as Russia or China, could become an important variable.
    — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of sufficient
Noun
  • Rex Frazier, a former deputy commissioner at the California Department of Insurance, said that in the situation that the insurers find themselves, the state regulator will be looking at a company’s capital sufficiency.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Since then, the case has remained in the pleading stage, where the county has challenged the sufficiency of the claims without answering them, and the child’s attorneys have revised their complaint three times.
    — Bay City News, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of sufficiency
Adverb
  • Critics say her tenure as chair hasn’t adequately met the moment.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • If a parent has an illness so contagious that the hospital can’t adequately protect other patients from it, such as tuberculosis, the parent and child would probably be put in an isolation room with special airflow to contain germs.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of adequately
Adverb
  • For reference, antimony is a relatively scarce metal/mineral used in things like flame retardants, batteries, electronics, and defense applications.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Its relatively rapid custom timeline—delivering boots in 6 to 12 months—is also a plus.
    — Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of relatively
Adverb
  • Anthropic wanted assurance that its technology would not be used for fully autonomous weapons or domestic mass surveillance, and the DOD wanted Anthropic to grant the agency unfettered access to Claude across all lawful purposes.
    — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But then Anton brings up the idea of Talia and Brooke using him as their sperm donor and Talia fully cracks up.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of fully

Browse Nearby Words

enormousness
enough
enounce
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Cite this Entry

“Enough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enough. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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