Synonyms of lack

lack 1 of 2

noun

1

as in absence

the fact or state of being absent

the lack of news about the fate of the soldiers was frustrating

Synonyms & Similar Words

• absence
• shortage
• dearth
• paucity
• deficiency
• scarcity
• inadequacy
• insufficiency
• loss
• want
• necessity
• omission
• deficit
• poverty
• deprivation
• failure
• famine
• need
• meagerness
• scarceness
• skimpiness
• scantiness
• inadequateness
• undersupply
• privation
• vacuum
• scantness
• void
• needfulness
• emptiness
• blankness
• vacuity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• presence
• abundance
• plenty
• wealth
• adequacy
• excess
• amplitude
• sufficiency
• surplus
• plenitude
• bounty
• flood
• quantity
• lot
• supply
• volume
• mass
• plentitude
• loads
• overabundance
• oversupply
• deal
• plentifulness
• deluge
• pile
• surfeit
• mountain
• stock
• superabundance
• heap
• stack
• fund
• plenteousness
• pot
• raft
• pool
• bushel
• reams
• wad
• peck
• stockpile
• gobs
• oodles
• much
• hoard
• scads
• cache
• stash

2

as in shortage

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

the lack of eligible candidates for the jury kept the trial from getting started

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shortage
• deficiency
• absence
• paucity
• scarcity
• deficit
• inadequacy
• insufficiency
• dearth
• drought
• poverty
• famine
• failure
• scarceness
• crunch
• scantiness
• lacuna
• inadequateness
• pinch
• omission
• undersupply
• want
• necessity
• meagerness
• need
• skimpiness
• privation
• poorness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abundance
• plenty
• adequacy
• wealth
• sufficiency
• amplitude
• opulence
• plenitude
• excess
• surplus
• overabundance
• surfeit
• copiousness
• oversupply
• bountifulness

3

as in need

a state of being without something necessary, desirable, or useful

the lack of fresh water at the campsite definitely would be a problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

• need
• absence
• needfulness
• shortage
• paucity
• deficiency
• scarcity
• inadequacy
• insufficiency
• want
• deficit
• dearth
• defect
• poverty
• requirement
• necessity
• minus
• deprivation
• meagerness
• requisite
• scarceness
• skimpiness
• essential
• demand
• scantiness
• privation
• famishment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequacy
• supply
• sufficiency
• stock
• excess
• fund
• enough
• plenty
• pool
• surplus
• fill
• overabundance
• stockpile
• surfeit
• oversupply
• hoard

lack

2 of 2

verb

as in to hurt (for)

Related Words

• hurt (for)
• beg
• ask
• insist
• cry (for)
• exact
• require
• need
• quest
• involve
• demand
• stipulate
• necessitate
• enjoin
• entail
• command
• want
• clamor (for)
• press
• challenge
• warrant
• claim
• take
• bear

Dissimilar Words

• have
• hold
• possess
• own

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of lack

Noun

For Zaibert, the future of business belongs to leaders who understand that trust is not a mood, a long history, or a lack of conflict. — K.h. Koehler, Freep.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Postpartum depression is a health condition, not a character flaw, a lack of commitment or evidence that a woman is no longer capable of doing her job, Kleiman said. — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026

Verb

County probation departments lack resources to keep up In all California counties except Santa Clara County, which has an entirely separate unit, pretrial services are run through county probation departments. — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Firms in the middle carry enough overhead to need scale but lack enough scale to fund a differentiated platform. — Roman Pedan, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026