Meaning & use
not enough
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Less than the amount or number that is needed.
Grammar: Comes before a noun without of: not enough time, not enough chairs.
Patterns
- not enough something
- not enough of something
We have not enough chairs for all the guests.
There was not enough time to finish the test.
I didn't get enough sleep, and there is not enough coffee in the house to fix that.
phrasefixed phrase
Lacking the degree or quality needed, used after an adjective, adverb or verb.
Grammar: Goes after the adjective or verb: not good enough, did not try enough.
Patterns
- not adjective enough
- not enough to do something
The ladder was not tall enough to reach the roof.
Her excuse was not convincing enough for the manager.
He does not practice enough to improve.
phraseidiominformal
Used as a short answer or comment meaning the amount or effort is insufficient.
Grammar: Stands alone as a remark: That's not enough!
Patterns
- That's not enough.
Ten dollars? That's not enough for the whole trip.
Saying sorry is not enough; you need to fix what you broke.
Common combinations
- not enough time
- There is never enough time, and today there was not enough for lunch.
- not enough money
- We had not enough money to repair the roof.
- not good enough
- My first draft was not good enough to send.
- not nearly enough
- Two volunteers is not nearly enough for an event this big.
- simply not enough
- Hope alone is simply not enough to win the match.
Synonyms and how they differ
- insufficient
- Insufficient is more formal and mostly sits before a noun, while not enough also works after verbs and adjectives.
- too little
- Too little names the lack of an uncountable amount, whereas not enough compares with a need that is known.
- inadequate
- Inadequate judges quality against a standard and sounds more critical than not enough.
- scarce
- Scarce describes something hard to find, not the gap between what exists and what is required.
Opposites
Word family
- enough adverb
- to the amount or degree needed
- insufficient adjective
- not enough
- insufficiency noun
- the state of not having enough
Commonly confused: not enough or too few?
not enough vs too few
Too few goes with countable plurals, as in too few seats, while not enough works with both countable and uncountable nouns.
Practice
The tent was not big ____ for six people.
Choose one answer.
After an adjective, enough follows it: not big enough. Too, very and so come before the adjective and do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “not enough”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.