adequacy

Adequacy refers to the state of being adequate: sufficient and suitable for a particular purpose. It implies meeting defined standards or minimum requirements rather than aiming for excellence. The term is used across disciplines to describe how well something serves its intended function and is often contrasted with perfection or excess.

Etymology: adequacy comes from late Latin adequatus, from ad- "toward" and aequus "equal," signaling being made suitable for a need.

In philosophy and epistemology, adequacy evaluates justification and argument structure. An argument is adequate if its premises support its conclusion; a belief-forming process is adequate if it yields warranted beliefs under normal conditions.

In statistics and econometrics, model adequacy assesses how well a model represents the data-generating process. Diagnostics, residual analysis, and goodness-of-fit tests help determine adequacy; an inadequate model risks biased inferences.

In linguistics, adequacy concerns whether a theory or grammar accounts for observed data and intuition. Descriptive adequacy captures data, while explanatory adequacy covers the underlying mechanisms that generate it.

In law and policy, adequacy refers to whether remedies, protections, or regulations are sufficient to meet their aims. Adequate compensation seeks to restore the affected position within practical constraints and without excessive hardship.

In everyday use, adequacy denotes a baseline standard: functional, reliable, and sufficient for the intended purpose, even if not exceptional.