enough

[ ih-nuhf ]

adjective

1. adequate for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose or to satisfy desire:

   enough water;

   noise enough to wake the dead.

   Synonyms: ample

pronoun

1. an adequate quantity or number; sufficiency.

adverb

1. in a quantity or degree that answers a purpose or satisfies a need or desire; sufficiently.

   Synonyms: reasonably, adequately, amply

2. fully or quite:

   ready enough.

interjection

1. (used to express impatience or exasperation):

   Enough! I heard you the first time.

enough

/ ɪˈnʌf /

determiner

1. 1. sufficient to answer a need, demand, supposition, or requirement; adequate

      enough cake

   2. ( as pronoun )

      enough is now known

2. that's enough!
   that's enough! that will do: used to put an end to an action, speech, performance, etc

adverb

1. so as to be adequate or sufficient; as much as necessary

   you have worked hard enough

2. not used with a negative very or quite; rather

   she was pleased enough to see me

3. (intensifier)

   oddly enough

   surprisingly enough

4. just adequately; tolerably

   he did it well enough

Word History and Origins

Origin of enough¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English enogh, Old English genōh; cognate with German genug, Gothic ganohs, Old Norse nōgr; akin to Old English geneah “it suffices,” Sanskrit naśati “(he) reaches”

Word History and Origins

Origin of enough¹

Old English genōh; related to Old Norse gnōgr, Gothic ganōhs, Old High German ginuog

Idioms and Phrases

• fair enough
• had enough
• leave well enough alone
• not enough room to swing a cat
• sure enough
• (enough) to wake the dead

Example Sentences

Grindr currently has twelve ‘tribes,’ and for some people this just is not enough.

From The Daily Beast

The atmosphere on campuses has gotten repressive enough that comedian Chris Rock no longer plays colleges.

From The Daily Beast

He added: “People say he deserves his day in court… Do we have enough time?”

From The Daily Beast

But if you have a hearing and you prove that someone is mature enough, well then that state interest evaporates.

From The Daily Beast

Luckily enough I have this dedicated flat that is just along from my house that I go to every day.

From The Daily Beast

And although we gabbled freely enough, MacRae avoided all mention of the persons of whom I most wished to hear.

From Project Gutenberg

The sailors sometimes use it to fry their meat, for want of butter, and find it agreeable enough.

From Project Gutenberg

Just corporeal enough to attest humanity, yet sufficiently transparent to let the celestial origin shine through.

From Project Gutenberg

A distinguished-looking man, evidently vested with authority, bustled forward and addressed him, civilly enough.

From Project Gutenberg

And sure enough when Sunday came, and the pencil was restored to him, he promptly showed nurse his picture.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Enough

What is a basic definition of enough?

Enough is an adjective that describes something that is adequate for an intended purpose. Enough is also used as an adverb to mean sufficiently or fully. Enough also has senses as a pronoun and an interjection.

Enough describes something as being adequate or sufficient. If you have enough of something, you have at least met the minimum requirement.

• Real-life examples: If you have enough money to buy food, you won’t run out of money when you purchase it, though you might not have a lot of money left afterwards. If you have enough points to pass a test, you won’t fail the test but you won’t get an A, either.
• Used in a sentence: We had 15 people show up, enough to form our basketball team.

As an adverb, enough means in a degree that is satisfactory. This sense is often used in the negative to mean something failed to meet expectations or was insufficient.

• Real-life examples: If your boss doesn’t think you work hard enough, they may fire you. If you practice the violin enough, you may become better at playing it.
• Used in a sentence: The door was just wide enough to fit the couch through it. 

Enough is also used to mean fully, quite, or plenty. This sense is used to describe a situation where something has met the maximum requirement and anything more is unnecessary. This sense is not used in the negative.

• Real-life examples: If you can pay all your bills and go on vacation, you can say you earn enough. You know you’ve studied enough when you can answer all the practice questions correctly.
• Used in a sentence: She decided the dog had eaten enough and took the food bowl away.

Where does enough come from?

The first records of enough come from before the 900s. It comes from the Old English word genōh and is related to the German genug and the Old Norse nōgr.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for enough?

• plenty
• sufficient
• ample
• adequately
• acceptably

What are some words that share a root or word element with enough? 

• enough is enough
• enough said
• sure enough
• fair enough
• have had enough

What are some words that often get used in discussing enough?

• acceptable
• adequate
• amount
• supply
• requirement

How is enough used in real life?

Enough is a very common word that refers to an acceptable amount of something.

I just wish I had enough money to spoil my friends and family like they deserve 🥺

— Caro✨ (@carver_caroline) December 10, 2020

Everyone has an inner voice telling them they're not good enough. All of your favorite artists refused to listen to that voice.

You should ignore it, too.

— C. Robert Cargill (@Massawyrm) December 6, 2020

I STILL don’t think I’ve got my Haters mad enough……

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) February 10, 2019

Try using enough!

True or False?

$10 is enough money to buy a shirt that costs $8.