lacuna

noun

lə-ˈkü-nə How to pronounce lacuna (audio)
Definition of lacunanext
1
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number attributes many of the nation's problems to a lacuna of leadership at the top

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gap
an incomplete or deficient area a lacuna in its collection of Impressionists that the museum is trying to fill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of lacuna At the heart of every biography, though, lies a lacuna—something unknowable, no matter how candid or heavily documented the subject, no matter how familiar or diligent the biographer. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025 The experience attempts to recall lacunas or lost memories, yet in trying to remember, temporalities and subjectivities become muddled and new thoughts, ideas, and images form in the viewer’s mind. — Mariana Fernández, ARTnews.com, 18 Dec. 2024 The country is still waiting for its first win in the international category, a lacuna that adds even more pressure to the annual selection process. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Sep. 2024 Among the problems that arise from this lacuna of information is that even the administration was unable to examine the plaintiffs’ purported issues with the program. — Ryann Liebenthal, The New Republic, 9 May 2023 See All Example Sentences for lacuna
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacuna
  1. shortage
  2. gap
  3. lack
  4. void
  5. deficiency
  6. hole
Noun
  • The barrage has caused fuel shortages in Russia, eaten into Russian refining capacity, and unsettled the Russian public.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Wong said the permanent closure was a result of rising food costs, inflation, labor shortages and the economy in general.
    — Daily News, Daily News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of shortage
Noun
  • Furthermore, understanding compensation gaps helps identify valuable expertise and actionable development paths.
    — Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Missouri’s Ramon Fiorini looked to widen the gap on Ginga Ninja, but his first go resulted in a re-ride, and the Freedom’s Alex Cerqueira also got a re-ride on Big Red to follow it up.
    — Ava DiCecca, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of gap
Noun
  • Constant said failure to appear charges, often due to the bus being late, a lack of childcare or permission to take the day off from work, are driving Connecticut’s pretrial population.
    — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The main reason China has been able to play this role is Washington’s lack of follow-up on sanctions, according to energy analyst Kjell Eikland, director of Eikland Energy AS.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of lack
Noun
  • Those black rectangles in Study for a Black Drawing are absurd attempts at the ideal void.
    — Aaron Fagan, Artforum, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The activist coalition urged the state to take budget actions during the August session to fill that void.
    — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of void
Noun
  • No one would blame them, however, for privately feeling frustrated over the complete deficiency of leads.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Construction defects, insulation deficiencies, and air leakage throughout the home or building can significantly affect how well the heating and cooling system performs.
    — Brynn Cooksey, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of deficiency
Noun
  • Instead of slicing and dicing the zucchini, grate it on the large holes of a box grater or the grater attachment of a food processor.
    — Kate Williams, AJC.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Naughton said as students arrived for the meetup at the school’s blacktop, the district began filling in a hole on the blacktop from a tree that had been removed earlier in the summer.
    — Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of hole

Browse Nearby Words

lacquers
lacuna
lacunae
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Lacuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacuna. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lacuna

Nglish: Translation of lacuna for Spanish 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

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 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?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All