the state of not having, or not having enough, of something that is needed:
Pregnant women often suffer from iron deficiency.
deficiency in The blood tests revealed a deficiency in certain key minerals and vitamins.
the state of not being good enough, or a fault that makes something not good enough:
As the game went on, the team's deficiency was obvious.
deficiency in Deficiencies in the education system have been much in the news.
the lack of something that is needed in order to meet a particular standard or level of quality, or the thing that is lacking:
[ U ] Many women suffer from iron deficiency.
plural deficiencies
a situation in which something is not as good as it should be:
a deficiency in sth The audit revealed deficiences in the accounting system.
an operations/performance/service deficiency
identify/highlight a deficiency We need to identify any deficiencies in the system and address them immediately.
address/correct/remedy a deficiency
the amount by which something such as income or profit is less than it should be:
a deficiency in sth They are not permitted to borrow additional funds as long as any deficiency exists in the capital reserve fund.
The accounts show a balance sheet deficiency - the amount by which liabilities exceed assets - of £13.19m at December 31.
The company has suffered recurring losses from operations and has a net capital deficiency that raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.
the amount by which the tax recorded in someone's financial records is less than the tax they actually owe, or a situation in which this happens:
The IRS notified him that he was subject to a $10000 tax deficiency for the 2009 tax year.