deficient dɪˈfɪʃɪnt adjective
1. inadequate in amount or degree
2. of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement
3. falling short of some prescribed norm
The word deficient has appeared in 132 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 28 in “Does Hot Lemon Water Have Any Health Benefits?” by Isobel Whitcomb. The article includes statements by Dr. Emily Ho, a professor of nutrition:
While true vitamin C deficiencies can come with health concerns, Dr. Ho said, they are rare. According to one study published in 2023, researchers found that only about 7 percent of adults aged 20 years and older in the United States were deficient.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word deficient in a sentence?
Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.
If you want a better idea of how deficient can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.
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Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.
The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.
The post Word of the Day: deficient appeared first on New York Times.




