Deficiency
Deficiency noun - A falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number.
Usage example: there is a deficiency of fresh food in the diet of many of the working poor
Failure is a synonym for deficiency in insufficiency topic. In some cases you can use "Failure" instead a noun "Deficiency", when it comes to topics like imperfection. popular alternative
Failure
Failure noun - A falling short of one's goals.
Usage example: the failure of the school's fund-raising drive was a big disappointment to all
Deficiency is a synonym for failure in negligence topic. You can use "Deficiency" instead a noun "Failure", if it concerns topics such as inadequacy, insufficiency, lack of success. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
How words are described
Both words in one sentence
- A poster for the movie Deadline, featuring actress Brittany Murphy lying dead in a bathtub had to be altered after Brittany Murphy was found dead in her shower from heart failure, caused by a mix of prescription drug intoxication, iron-deficiency anemia, and pneumonia.
Source: Funny Aneurysm Moment / Film
Cite this Source
Failure and Deficiency. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/deficiency/failure
Deficiency & Failure. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/deficiency/failure>.
Failure or Deficiency. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/deficiency/failure.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "deficiency" and "failure" have occurred on timeline