What does sufficing mean?
Sufficing is a formal or literary adjective meaning enough or adequate for a stated need or purpose. It describes something that meets the relevant requirement without necessarily being plentiful, excellent, or more than necessary. For example, a modest supply of food might be called sufficing if it adequately met the needs of a small group. The word often appears in older prose and in contexts where brevity, necessity, or adequacy is being emphasized. Today it is uncommon in everyday speech, although its grammatical use as the present participle of suffice remains systematic. Modern speakers generally choose sufficient when discussing resources, explanations, evidence, or time, or adequate when judging whether something meets a standard. Sufficing nevertheless has a useful formal quality and can express the idea of adequacy with unusual concision.
adjectiveSufficing means enough or adequate to meet a particular need. It is now chiefly found in formal or literary English.
- Enough or adequate to satisfy a requirement, need, or purpose.
"A brief explanation was sufficing for the purpose of the notice."
"The resources at hand were sufficing for the expedition."
"Her concise account was sufficing to explain the delay."
Sufficing comes from the Latin sufficere, formed from sub- and facere, literally “to make enough.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sufficing come from?
Sufficing ultimately derives from Latin sufficere, meaning “to be enough,” a compound formed from sub- and facere, “to make.” The word entered Middle English in related forms such as suffice and sufficient. Its cognates in other English words—including deficient, deficiency, efficient, and proficiency—also reflect the same Latin root of making or doing.
Related word forms
How sufficing is actually used
This word has a literary and somewhat archaic tone. In modern general English, sufficient or adequate is usually preferred.