“不足的;不够好的;不够充分的”。常指数量、质量或能力达不到所需标准。(也可指“不适当的”,但最常用的是“不够/不足”。)
/ɪnˈædɪkwət/
The food supplies were inadequate for the whole week.
这些食物储备不足以支撑一整周。
The report was criticized as inadequate because it failed to address the key risks and provided little supporting evidence.
这份报告因未能回应关键风险、且缺少支撑证据而被批评为不充分。
来自拉丁语前缀 **in-**(“不、非”)+ adequate(“足够的”)。其中 adequate 源自拉丁语 adaequare(“使相等、使足够”),因此 inadequate 字面义为“达不到足够标准的”。