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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacking
Adjective
-
Where those policies are insufficient to prevent the disruption of scholarship, classroom learning and teaching, or other aspects of normal campus life, Harvard must develop and implement disciplinary policies sufficient to prevent those disruptions.—
Kayla Jimenez,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025 -
Focusing only on new cloud applications is insufficient.—
Benoit Grangé,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The leonine Huston men, however, remained mostly absent from her early life—Huston’s grandfather had died shortly before her birth, while her father spent large periods of the year traveling and working on films from The Barbarian and the Geisha to The Misfits.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Songs from her 2013 album Artpop, Joanne from 2016, 2020’s Chromatica and Harlequin from last year were noticeably absent.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
If your home is begging for a refresh, don’t miss the chance to save on furniture and decor at Wayfair’s epic spring sale.—
Ali Faccenda,
People.com,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Rebecca was then allegedly seen on camera begging Yolanda to call 911 multiple times as her wife told her to go back inside.—
Bailey Richards,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The area normally can expect 38.4 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Chicago was warmer than average during the 2023-24 season, which meant snow was scarce.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2025
-
This gap is particularly pronounced in countries without a long-standing tradition of immigration, such as Austria and Germany, where clinical studies on menopause among migrant populations remain scarce.—
Ximena Araya-Fischel,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
When Michele Romano went missing last August, her family and their close friend, podcaster Lauren Lee Malloy, labored over flyers bearing her image: a woman with a gentle smile and a spill of braids, wrapped in a cozy, pale rainbow cardigan.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Bookbindings For the record, Tom paid for Maddie’s missing ear to be reconstructed.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Crafting the right prompt can mean the difference between receiving valuable output that streamlines your workflow or an inadequate response that leaves you frustrated.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Outside of ace Garrett Crochet, whose 1.38 ERA is currently eighth in MLB and third in the AL, Red Sox starters have been inadequate to say the least, with a collective 4.55 ERA — 22nd in MLB — and just four wins against eight defeats.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The plaintiffs are asking the court to block the administration’s order, which puts Haitians at risk of being returned to a country overrun by deadly gangs.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The Purple One was not pleased when his band started asking questions.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Their recruitment model is heavily dependent on identifying and developing young talent — often at low cost by Premier League spending standards — from all over the world.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The evening is expected to be mostly clear with a low around 52.—
Todd Karpovich,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Lacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacking. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share