French Conversation · Level 102
60 words
French word
suffisance
Pronunciation
IPA/syfizɑ̃s/
Meaning
- feminine nounadequacy
Example
La suffisance de nourriture pour la semaine nous rassure.
The adequacy of the week's food supply reassures us.
More examples
La suffisance financière du projet permet des investissements.
The project's financial sufficiency makes investments possible.
Core concept
A need filled to its proper level, or a person displaying an inflated sense of being fully adequate.
Common phrases
suffisance alimentaire
food sufficiency
suffisance financière
financial sufficiency
Similar words
quantité: The amount of something, whether large or small.
ressource: Something available for use or consumption, such as money, materials, or energy.
réserve: A stored supply kept for future use.
Definition in French
État ou qualité de ce qui est suffisant pour répondre à un besoin ; par extension, comportement marqué par l'orgueil.
Word origin
The noun traces back to Latin sufficientia, formed from sufficere, meaning to suffice, and passed into modern French through Old French suffisance.
Usage tips
- Unlike neutral English sufficiency, suffisance often sounds critical when it describes a person's attitude, especially in avec suffisance.
Other meanings
- self-importancenoun
Opposites
- insuffisanceinsufficiencynoun
- pénurieshortagenoun
Related words
- suffisantsufficientadjective
- suffisammentsufficientlyadverb