How to Use adequate in a Sentence

adequate

adjective
  • The food was more than adequate for the six of us.
  • The machine does an adequate job.
  • The school lunch should be adequate to meet the nutritional needs of growing children.
  • The quality of his work was only adequate.
  • Your grades are adequate but I think you can do better.
  • The quality of his work was perfectly adequate.
  • The garden hasn't been getting adequate water.
  • The tent should provide adequate protection from the elements.
  • Lake says that gives her all the more reason to take adequate time away.
    Claire Zillman, Fortune, 19 June 2018
  • Then plant the bulb in a pot with adequate drainage, leaving about a third of the bulb exposed.
    Grace Haynes, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2023
  • Some mothers who would like to work lack adequate child care to do so.
    Dylan Matthews, Vox, 27 Apr. 2018
  • The reply from the Nunes camp seems…less than adequate.
    Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 1 Feb. 2018
  • Check roast after two hours to make sure there is still adequate liquid in the pan.
    The View, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2024
  • Leg and headroom are more than adequate even for those over six feet tall.
    Dan Seifert, The Verge, 26 Apr. 2023
  • Amending the soil once a year should be adequate for your garden.
    Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 15 Nov. 2020
  • The silverware and dishes were clean, and the meals were adequate.
    Beth Nakamura, The Oregonian - OregonLive.com, 26 Oct. 2022
  • What would be an adequate amount to motivate you to find him?
    Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, 21 Nov. 2018
  • The district hopes that the extra day off will give teachers adequate time to prepare for the week.
    Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 11 Aug. 2022
  • Dig each hole to a depth recognized in your area as being adequate for the frost line.
    Merle Henkenius, Popular Mechanics, 23 Oct. 2020
  • But these types of networks aren't yet adequate to meet the demand.
    Kimberly Leonard, Washington Examiner, 24 Jan. 2020
  • But the group of detractors didn’t feel the response was adequate.
    Christine Yu, Outside Online, 25 June 2019
  • But those who do have adequate health insurance are hardly out of the woods.
    Abigail Abrams, Time, 4 Mar. 2020
  • If the snowfall doesn't last long, installing a set of skid chains is adequate.
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2022
  • And some insist that even the current standards may not be adequate.
    Ryan Martin, Indianapolis Star, 30 Oct. 2019
  • The adequate response to this study would be climate action.
    Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 16 Sep. 2021
  • Several of my day lily clumps and a stand of Salvia looked quite adequate for the purpose.
    Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 May 2017
  • The point of these objects is to be able to use them far from a wall outlet, so adequate battery life is key.
    Will Palmer, Outside Online, 29 May 2018
  • The corrosive water lacked adequate treatment and caused lead to leach from old pipes in homes and schools.
    The Associated Press, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2016
  • Healthy diet, adequate sleep, exercise and not smoking are at the top of the list.
    Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2022
  • That's plenty adequate for a decent walk or even a slow jog—your call.
    Men's Health, 16 Feb. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adequate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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