insuficientemente

Insuficientemente is an adverb used in Spanish to indicate that something is done or evaluated in an insufficient manner or to an insufficient degree. It is formed from the adjective insuficiente by adding the suffix -mente, following a common pattern for turning adjectives into adverbs in Spanish.

A closely related form exists in Italian, where the equivalent adverb is insufficientemente (from the adjective insufficiente). In both languages, the term is used to qualify actions, arguments, evidence, resources, or performance, signaling inadequacy or lack of sufficiency.

In practical use, insuficientemente can modify verbs, adjectives, or clauses. For example, in Spanish one might say, Las pruebas son insuficientemente concluyentes, meaning the evidence is not conclusive enough. In Italian, Il campione è insufficiente rappresentativo is often rendered as Il campione è insufficientemente rappresentativo, meaning the sample is not sufficiently representative.

Etymology notes: both Spanish and Italian derive their respective adverbs from the base adjectives that express sufficiency or adequacy, with the standard -mente suffix in Spanish and the -mente suffix in Italian. The term is common in formal writing—scientific, legal, and academic contexts—as well as in everyday language when describing underwhelming levels of adequacy. Related expressions include de forma insuficiente, de manera insuficiente, or simply insufficient, depending on the language.