What does adequate mean?
Word: Adequate
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Adequate means enough in amount, or good enough for a particular need, though not more than that.
Synonyms: enough, sufficient, satisfactory
Antonyms: insufficient
How do you spell adequate?
Syllables: ad - e - quate
Tricky part: The letter after d is an e: ad-e-quate. Students often write adiquate or adaquate because the middle sound is weak.
Watch out for: adiquate, adaquate
Memory tip: In your spelling voice, say ad-EE-quate, and give the weak middle sound the full e that quick speech swallows.
Adequate in a sentence
Example 1: The hostel rooms were small but adequate for a two-night school trip.
Example 2: Make sure the plants get adequate sunlight, or the leaves will turn yellow.
Example 3: The new hall has adequate seating for all six hundred parents at the school concert.
Fun Fact
Sleep experts advise that an adequate night's sleep for children aged 6 to 12 is about 9 to 12 hours.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Choose the meaning of the misspelt word in the given sentence:
The rainfall this year was adequete for the paddy fields, so the farmers in the village expect a good harvest.
a) areas of wet land where rice is grown
b) enough for what is needed
c) the rain that falls in a year
d) the crops that are cut and gathered
Show answer
b) enough for what is needed. The last vowel is wrong in adequete: adequate, with -ate, means enough for the need.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
Our classroom has adequate light and comfortable desks, but the shelfs are almost empty because the new books have not arived.
a) 3
b) 1
c) 2
d) 0
Show answer
c) 2. Shelf becomes shelves in the plural, and arrived needs a double r.
Word Fusion
Choose the two parts that fit in the blanks to make a meaningful word:
___adequate___ 1. un 2. ness 3. dis 4. in 5. ly 6. ment
a) 1 and 6
b) 3 and 2
c) 4 and 5
d) 1 and 5
Show answer
c) 4 and 5. In- gives inadequate, the opposite, and -ly turns it into the adverb inadequately.
Sound Check
In which word is 'qu' pronounced differently?
a) equal
b) adequate
c) antique
d) frequent
Show answer
c) antique. In antique, qu is a plain k sound; in adequate, equal and frequent it is kw.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In which sentence is adequate used correctly?
a) Sana adequate her homework before dinner.
b) The shop sold an adequate of fresh bread.
c) The torch gave adequate light to read the map.
d) We were adequate when the bus came late.
Show answer
c) The torch gave adequate light to read the map.
2. A recipe needs 2 cups of rice. Which amount is adequate?
a) exactly 2 cups
b) just one cup
c) only half a cup
d) a single spoonful
Show answer
a) exactly 2 cups
