Enough
A seemingly simple word that hides its complexity. Webster’s defines it as “occurring in such quantity, quality, or scope as to fully meet demands, needs, or expectations.” See what I mean! “Such quantity” is an unknown variable, and “demands,” “needs,” and “expectations” are different things. Beyond that, “enough” can mean seemingly opposite things depending on accompanying words and tone. “She sings well enough” or “He paints good enough” are hardly indicators of fully meeting “demands, needs, and expectations” and in fact at least suggest some disappointment or inadequacy. And of course, “enough” said in the right tone (I think of my mother’s “That’s enough!”) strongly convey that the speaker’s demands, needs, or expectations (and certainly tolerance) have been exceeded and the listener should proceed at his/her own risk.
But back to the “unknown variable” issue. How much is “enough?” Ah! Now there’s a question, a word, worthy of delving into for 2019!
It occurs to me... 