lacking 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of lackingnext
1
as in insufficient
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need we felt the afternoon television offerings were somewhat lacking in entertainment value

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in absent
not present or in evidence for the moment anyway, wood for the fireplace is lacking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lacking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of lack
as in begging

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacking
  1. insufficient
  2. absent
  3. begging
  4. scarce
  5. missing
  6. inadequate
  7. asking
  8. low
Adjective
  • Judge Kimberly Mueller of the Eastern District of California warned of what could happen if lawmakers don't pass the Judges Act, saying criminal defendants are waiting far too long for trials and some lawsuits are delayed for more than three years because of an insufficient number of judges.
    Tobi Raji The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2024
  • At the same time, UM/UIM helps drivers when the at-fault party has insufficient or no insurance.
    Nia Bowers, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Definition of insufficient
Adjective
  • Tarek's daughter and Heather's stepdaughter Taylor, 14, was absent from the family photos, and Heather was quick to explain why in the caption of the carousel.
    Rachel Raposas, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024
  • Across the near entirety of Malik’s solo career, the 31-year-old has remained absent from the live circuit, citing struggles with stage fright.
    Sophie Williams, Billboard, 27 Nov. 2024
Definition of absent
Verb
  • Broth ends the video with an emotional plea begging his fans for their help.
    Ash Parrish, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2024
  • This is a begging-the-question fallacy disproved all the time by great popular geniuses like Shakespeare, Mozart, Toni Morrison, Lorca himself.
    Lauren Groff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Definition of begging
Adjective
  • Though photos are scarce, online listings show a sunken living room sporting a wet bar and a double-sided fireplace that steps up to an adjacent dining area.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Several told ProPublica that cybersecurity contract opportunities are now scarce.
    Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 15 Nov. 2024
Definition of scarce
Adjective
  • Now, 14 years later, their teenage daughter has gone missing from a summer camp near the family’s Adirondack estate.
    Rachel Flynn, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024
  • The girls went missing that day after going hiking at the Monon High Bridge in Delphi.
    Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Nov. 2024
Definition of missing
Adjective
  • Doctors have also raised concerns about inadequate treatment guidance in this area.
    Dario Sabaghi, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
  • Fatal accidents on Nigeria's waterways have for some time raised alarms about the lack of effective oversight and regulation, even as the country faces other major challenges, including inadequate road infrastructure.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024
Definition of inadequate
Verb
  • Rather than asking the reader to identify the important information, the candidate decides which points are most relevant and highlights that data.
    Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2024
  • Others posed as parents asking about their struggling teenager.
    Max Blau, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
Definition of asking
Adjective
  • These are the typical wavelengths, measured in nanometers, to look for: Red light therapy commonly uses wavelengths in the 630 to 660 nanometer range, with the lowest effective wavelength around 600 nanometers.
    Nena Farrell, WIRED, 23 Nov. 2024
  • After they were born, however, doctors thought her low birthweight was due to those complications, Chrissy recalls.
    Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 23 Nov. 2024
Definition of low
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near lacking

lackeys

lacking

lackluster

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Lacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacking. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on lacking

Nglish: Translation of lacking for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of lacking for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...