deficiency

noun

Simple meaning

The codimension of a linear system in the corresponding complete linear system.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

dihfishuhnsee

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

dɪˈfɪʃənsi

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

countable
An insufficiency, especially of something essential to health.
geometry
The codimension of a linear system in the corresponding complete linear system.
uncountable
Inadequacy or incompleteness.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency: Moderately Common
Typical Use: General and technical use

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: An insufficiency, especially of something essential to health.

Used this way, deficiency is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It suits considered writing and prepared speech.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Serious and weighty
Usage feel: Formal and precise

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Insufficiency

deficiency disease

Lack

iodine deficiency

Other combinations

mental deficiencyiron deficiencyimmune deficiencyzinc deficiencyvitamin deficiencymagnesium deficiency

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

deficiency diseasenounCompound term
Any disease caused by a lack of an essential nutrient (as a vitamin or mineral).
colour vision deficiencynounCompound term
Genetic inability to distinguish differences in hue.
iron deficiency anaemianounCompound term
A form of anemia due to lack of iron in the diet or to iron loss as a result of chronic bleeding.
iron deficiency anemianounCompound term
A form of anemia due to lack of iron in the diet or to iron loss as a result of chronic bleeding.
lactase deficiencynounCompound term
Congenital disorder consisting of an inability to digest milk and milk products.
mass deficiencynounCompound term
The amount by which the mass of an atomic nucleus is less than the sum of the masses of its constituent particles.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

human immunodeficiency virusnounRelated term
The virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “deficiency” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.