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Enough vs Lack - What's the difference?

enough | lack |

As a determiner enough

is sufficient; all that is required, needed, or appropriate.

As an adverb enough

is sufficiently.

As a pronoun enough

is a sufficient or adequate number, amount, etc.

As an interjection enough

is stop! don't do that anymore, etc.

As a verb lack is

.

enough

English

Alternative forms

* (l) * (l) (obsolete) * (l), (l), (l) (Scotland)

Determiner

(en determiner)
  • Sufficient; all that is required, needed, or appropriate.
  • * Bible, (Gospel of Luke) xv. 17
  • How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare!
  • * , chapter=16
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=The preposterous altruism too!
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
  • , chapter=15 citation , passage=‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You're not dull enough ! […] What about the kid's clothes? I don't suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn't you keep anything? A bootee or a bit of embroidery or anything at all?’}}

    Adverb

    (head)
  • Sufficiently.
  • :
  • *, chapter=5
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=Of all the queer collections of humans outside of a crazy asylum, it seemed to me this sanitarium was the cup winner. […] When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose.}}
  • Fully; quite; used to express slight augmentation of the positive degree, and sometimes equivalent to very .
  • :
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:I know you well enough ; you are Signior Antonio.
  • *
  • *:“[…] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”
  • Usage notes

    * As an adverb, enough always follows the verb it qualifies.

    Pronoun

    (English Pronouns)
  • A sufficient or adequate number, amount, etc.
  • I have enough to keep me going .

    Interjection

  • stop! Don't do that anymore, etc.
  • Enough !

    lack

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A defect or failing; moral or spiritual degeneracy.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.}}
  • A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Let his lack of years be no impediment.
  • * 1994 , (Green Day),
  • I went to a shrink, to analyze my dreams. He said it's lack of sex that's bringing me down.''
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=September 7, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC Sport
  • , title= Moldova 0-5 England , passage=If Moldova harboured even the slightest hopes of pulling off a comeback that would have bordered on miraculous given their lack of quality, they were snuffed out 13 minutes before the break when Oxlade-Chamberlain picked his way through midfield before releasing Defoe for a finish that should have been dealt with more convincingly by Namasco at his near post.}}

    Antonyms

    * glut * surplus

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To be without, to need, to require.
  • My life lacks excitement.
  • To be short (of'' or ''for something).
  • He'll never lack for company while he's got all that money.
  • * Shakespeare
  • What hour now? I think it lacks of twelve.
  • To be in want.
  • * Bible, Psalms xxxiv. 10
  • The young lions do lack , and suffer hunger.

    Anagrams

    * ----