Synonyms of lacking

lacking 1 of 2

adjective

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

• insufficient
• scarce
• inadequate
• low
• deficient
• short
• wanting
• unacceptable
• sparse
• shy
• unsatisfactory
• poor
• substandard
• scant
• small
• meager
• scanty
• skimpy
• spare
• lean
• light
• minimum
• mere
• slender
• stingy
• bare
• slim
• skimp
• slight
• hand-to-mouth

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequate
• sufficient
• enough
• abundant
• ample
• plentiful
• generous
• liberal
• copious
• bountiful
• plenteous
• enlarged
• bounteous
• satisfactory
• supplemented
• expanded
• overflowing
• tolerable
• large
• rich
• considerable
• substantial
• plenitudinous
• lavish
• teeming
• super
• big
• sizable
• abounding
• luxuriant
• hefty
• oversize
• jumbo
• largish
• king-size

2

as in absent

not present or in evidence

for the moment anyway, wood for the fireplace is lacking

Synonyms & Similar Words

• absent
• missing
• nonexistent
• lost
• extinct
• wanting
• vanished
• inadequate
• insufficient
• sparse
• done
• obsolete
• departed
• scarce
• over
• expired
• defunct
• finished
• uncommon
• rare
• perished
• dead
• lapsed
• passé

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• present
• existent
• active
• alive
• current
• living
• thriving
• common
• prevalent
• prevailing
• going
• apparent
• evident
• obvious
• conspicuous
• plain
• animate
• uncanceled

lacking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of lack

as in begging

Related Words

• begging
• hurting (for)
• asking
• insisting
• crying (for)
• involving
• requiring
• needing
• clamoring (for)
• pressing
• commanding
• enjoining
• exacting
• wanting
• demanding
• necessitating
• challenging
• stipulating
• claiming
• entailing
• questing
• warranting
• taking
• bearing

Dissimilar Words

• having
• holding
• possessing
• owning

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of lacking

Adjective

But concrete evidence of Clark fans acting in a hateful manner — at least in real time — is severely lacking. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

With access from both the east and west sides of the campus, the museum’s park creates a pedestrian connection between Vermont Avenue to the west and the rest of Exposition Park to the east, which was previously lacking. — Christina Merino, Daily News, 2 Sep. 2026

Ohio's fittest cities don't rank in the national top 25, but that doesn't mean the Buckeye State is unhealthy or lacking amenities. — Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026

Where to Stay Ely hosts a handful of hotels and motels within town limits, but true luxury accommodations are somewhat lacking. — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026

Which is to say quality constraints on what Paramount could conceivably dump into theaters are totally lacking. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026

So a resistance surveillance network across places where this is lacking, such as northwestern Nigeria, would bring a huge return on investment. — Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Despite severely lacking resources, the monuments men and women were able to find and retrieve more than five million items, many of them artworks that had been stolen by the Axis forces. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026

Rival broadcasters Channel 4 and Channel 5 — both reliant on advertising revenue and lacking Sky’s pay-TV cushion — are expected to raise competition concerns. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026