enough in quantity, or good enough in quality, for a particular purpose or need an adequate supply of hot water The room was small but adequate. There is a lack of adequate provision for disabled students. He didn't give an adequate answer to the question. adequate for something The space available is not adequate for our needs. adequate to do something training that is adequate to meet the future needs of industry opposite inadequate Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, prove, seem, … adverbreally, very, perfectly, … prepositionfor See full entry Word Originearly 17th cent.: from Latin adaequatus ‘made equal to’, past participle of the verb adaequare, from ad- ‘to’ + aequus ‘equal’.Extra examples The financial assistance given to students is less than adequate. The old computer is still perfectly adequate for most tasks. The system is more than adequate to deal with any problems. The trains were not considered adequate for use on the modern railways. These measures are not considered adequate by conservationists. He didn’t give an adequate answer to the question. The training given should be adequate to meet the future needs of the industry. There’s a lack of adequate provision for disabled students. They’ll need an adequate supply of hot water.
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