> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.snomed.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.snomed.org/snomed-international-documents/snomed-ct-glossary/s/sufficient-definition.md).
# sufficient definition
## sufficient definition
A set of characteristics which distinguish a concept and its subtypes from all other concepts.
#### Notes
* Any concept that matches the *sufficient definition* is equivalent to or a subtype of the defined concept.
* A concept may have more than one *sufficient definition*. In that case any concept that matches at least one of these *sufficient definitions* is equivalent to or a subtype of the defined concept.
#### Examples
* The following set of assertions is a sufficient definition for [74400008 | appendicitis (disorder)|](http://snomed.info/id/74400008) because any concept for which this set of assertions is true must either be the disorder *appendicitis* or a subtype of *appendicitis*.
[18526009 |disorder of appendix|](http://snomed.info/id/18526009) +\
[302168000 |inflammation of large intestine|](http://snomed.info/id/302168000) :\
[116676008 |associated morphology|](http://snomed.info/id/116676008) = [23583003 |inflammation|](http://snomed.info/id/23583003) ,\
[363698007 |finding site|](http://snomed.info/id/363698007) = [66754008 |appendix structure|](http://snomed.info/id/66754008)
* Both the following sets of assertions are sufficient definitions for the concept [8801005 | Secondary diabetes mellitus (disorder)|](http://snomed.info/id/8801005) :
[73211009 |Diabetes mellitus|](http://snomed.info/id/73211009) : [246075003 |Causative agent|](http://snomed.info/id/246075003) = [105590001 |Substance|](http://snomed.info/id/105590001)
[73211009 |Diabetes mellitus|](http://snomed.info/id/73211009) : [42752001 |Due to|](http://snomed.info/id/42752001) = [64572001 |Disease|](http://snomed.info/id/64572001)
* While each of the assertions [246075003 | Causative agent|](http://snomed.info/id/246075003) = [105590001 | Substance|](http://snomed.info/id/105590001) and [42752001 | Due to|](http://snomed.info/id/42752001) = [64572001 | Disease|](http://snomed.info/id/64572001) form part of a sufficient definition, neither of these assertions are necessary conditions because *only one* of them needs to be true. This illustrates that an assertion that is part of a sufficient definition need not be a necessary condition.
#### Change Notices
* Prior to July 2018, SNOMED CT could only support one *sufficient definition* for each concept could not represent the [8801005 | Secondary diabetes mellitus (disorder)|](http://snomed.info/id/8801005) example above. A further limitation, that also prevented formal representation of that example was the stated relationship file was only able to represent necessary conditions.
* Changes introduced in the July 2018 release of the International Edition allow assertions to be represented as axioms in the OWL axiom reference set file. This will allow concepts to be defined by multiple sufficient definitions, some of which may contain assertions that are not necessarily true.
* Following these changes a concept will only be marked as sufficiently defined if it is sufficiently defined by relationships. However, the OWL axioms may provide a sufficient definition that cannot be fully represented as *relationships*.
## Alternatives
* **Sufficient set**
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