How do you pronounce deficient?

The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈfɪʃənt/.

deficient

Q: Where does deficient come from?

From Latin deficiens, present participle of deficere (“to lack, fail, be wanting”); see defect.

/dɪˈfɪʃənt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.33 in modern English

Syllables: de-fi-cient
IPA: /dɪˈfɪʃənt/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Lacking something essential; often construed with in.

adj

Insufficient or inadequate in amount.

adj

Of a number n, Having the sum of divisors σ(n) < 2n, or, equivalently, the sum of proper divisors (or aliquot sum) s(n) < n.

noun

A person who is deficient.

Example Sentences

"They were deficient in social skills."
"His voice is beautiful but deficient in power."
"My diet is deficient in vitamin D."
"Apothecia lecanoroid; multilocular; each cell containing a single theke; paraphyses deficient."
"This was justified by the rationale that mental deficients, by definition, are not able to succeed in society."

Etymology

From Latin deficiens, present participle of deficere (“to lack, fail, be wanting”); see defect.

Word Breakdown

Root: *dʰeh₁-

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /dɪˈfɪʃənt/

Inflected Forms

more deficient (comparative) most deficient (superlative) deficients (plural)

Derived Forms

bideficient biodeficient deficiently deficientness haplodeficient hyperdeficient immunodeficient indeficient multideficient nondeficient phosphodeficient pseudodeficient

Phrases

deficient-demand unemployment deficient number demand-deficient unemployment mental deficient rank-deficient self-deficient

Frequently Paired Words

defect defection defective defector deficiency deficit

Synonyms

absent poor in void of awanting bereft of deficient of deprived of destitute of devoid of lacking leer robbed of

Rhymes With

efficient sufficient self-sufficient insufficient inefficient coefficient proficient omniscient beneficent cost-efficient immunodeficient haploinsufficient