Master confusing words with ease
Defective vs. Deficient
Defective
/dɪˈfektɪv/Examples:
The recall was due to the defective airbags installed.Detecting the defective gene is key for the diagnosis.The product had a defective seal, causing leaks.
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Deficient
/dɪˈfɪʃənt/Examples:
Her report was deficient in key statistics.The deficient soil yielded poor crop results.His deficient knowledge led to frequent errors.
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Ways to tell them apart:
- Defective often implies something is broken or not working correctly, while deficient means lacking or insufficient in some way.
- Defective items are usually unusable without repair, whereas deficient items might still function but not optimally.
- Think of defective as relating to flaws or malfunctions, while deficient often relates to missing qualities or inadequacies.
- A defective product might have a manufacturing error; a deficient product might be missing features or qualities.
- Deficient deals more with shortages, such as insufficient vitamins or nutrients, while defective is about faults or errors in function.
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