deficiency

Obsolete, deficience

[dih-fish-uhn-see]

noun

plural

deficiencies 

1. the state of being deficient; lack; incompleteness; insufficiency.

   Synonyms: scarcity, paucity, inadequacy, shortage

2. the amount lacked; a deficit.

deficiency

/ dɪˈfɪʃənsɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being deficient

2. a lack or insufficiency; shortage

3. another word for deficit

4. biology the absence of a gene or a region of a chromosome normally present

Other Word Forms

• nondeficiency noun
• predeficiency noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deficiency¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin dēficientia, Latin dēficient- (stem of dēficiēns ); deficient, -ency

Example Sentences

"However, the potential downsides include nutrient deficiencies, increased cholesterol, excessive hunger, irritability, headaches and reduced adherence over time," says Prof Misra.

From BBC

Weren't your deficiencies up front - and pretty much everywhere else - evident for months before your denouement with Brugge and the brutality of what followed?

From BBC

Yet the fabulous end to the 2023-24 campaign masked positional deficiencies in Mainoo's game that were apparent as United's midfield was routinely overrun.

From BBC

Evidence suggests that vitamin A supplementation is seldom useful against measles in the United States, because deficiency is exceedingly rare.

From Salon

And although the California Department of Fish and Wildlife identified numerous deficiencies in plans to mitigate impacts on plants and wildlife, the city said it would adopt only some of those recommended changes, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dearth 
• defect 
• failing 
• failure 
• fault 
• flaw 
• frailty 
• glitch 
• insufficiency 
• lack 
• scarcity 
• shortage 
• shortcoming 
• weakness