lacuna

noun

la·cu·na | \ lə-ˈkü-nə

, -ˈkyü-\

plural lacunae\ lə-ˈkyü-(ˌ)nē

, -ˈkü-ˌnī \ also lacunas\ lə-ˈkü-nəz

, -ˈkyü- \

Definition of lacuna

1 : a blank space or a missing part : gap the evident lacunae in his story— Shirley Hazzard also : deficiency sense 1 despite all these lacunae, those reforms were a vast improvement — New Republic

2 : a small cavity, pit, or discontinuity in an anatomical structure

Other Words from lacuna Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about lacuna

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Other Words from lacuna

lacunar \ lə-ˈkü-nər

, -ˈkyü- \ or less commonly lacunate \ lə-ˈkü-nət

, -ˈkyü- , -ˌnāt ; ˈla-kyə-ˌnāt \ adjective

Examples of lacuna in a Sentence

She found a lacuna in the historical record. attributes many of the nation's problems to a lacuna of leadership at the top

Recent Examples on the Web

The constitutional prohibition on people under the age of 35 serving as president is just one of these weird lacuna that was handed down to us from the 18th century but that nobody would seriously propose creating today if not for status quo bias. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "It’s ridiculous that it’s unconstitutional for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president," 12 Dec. 2018 The hollow is rich and generative, a lacuna of a kind Ball has mastered. — Ellie Robins, latimes.com, "Jesse Ball's 'Census' is an understated tale of a father and son taking stock of America," 9 Mar. 2018 But at least part of this outrage lacuna must be attributable to the distorting effects of partisanship. — Jonah Goldberg, National Review, "American Nationalists Are Awfully Quiet about Russia," 16 Feb. 2018 Obviously the giant lacuna in that sort of analysis is that there was segregation in the country, the status of women, status of gay people, etc. — Isaac Chotiner, Slate Magazine, "Why corporate America is so much more awful than it used to be.," 29 Sep. 2017 The lacuna bespeaks incuriosity about the wife of the great man, which Merz was at no pains to correct. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "Marisa Merz’s Factory of Dreams," 30 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lacuna.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.