deficiency
/dɪˈfɪʃənsi/
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: deficiencies
Sense 1
Meaning · English
Inadequacy or incompleteness.
Noun
Examples
The face which emerged was not reassuring.[…]. He was not a mongol but there was a deficiency of a sort there, and it was not made more pretty by a latter-day hair cut which involved eccentrically long elf-locks and oiled black curls.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
An insufficiency, especially of something essential to health.
Noun
Examples
One of academia’s deficiencies is that, though its lecture halls and graduate schools are replete with women, its higher echelons are not. Often, this is seen as a phenomenon specific to the sciences. … In fact, the disparity applies to the whole grove. Another report from 2006, by the American Asso
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “deficiency” mean?
Inadequacy or incompleteness.
Is “deficiency” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.