Synonyms of missing

missing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmi-siŋ 

1

as in lost

no longer possessed

the missing socks turned up in the dog's special hiding place

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lost
• gone
• misplaced
• forgotten
• mislaid
• absent
• unknown
• irretrievable
• irrecoverable
• castaway

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• retained
• possessed
• owned
• loved
• valued
• protected
• treasured
• prized
• cherished

2

as in absent

not present or in evidence

any sense of how real people talk and act is missing from this novel

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

3

as in out

not at a certain place

our church organist is missing this morning, so we'll have to sing without her accompaniment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• out
• absent
• gone
• away
• retired
• truant
• departed
• AWOL
• abroad
• vacationing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• present
• here
• in
• participating
• attending
• accompanying

missing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of miss

1

as in skipping

to fail to attend

had to miss work for a week because of the flu

Synonyms & Similar Words

• skipping
• ignoring
• blowing off
• playing hooky
• cutting
• neglecting
• absenting oneself
• passing over

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• attending
• showing up (for)

2

as in misunderstanding

to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of

I think you're missing the point

Synonyms & Similar Words

• misunderstanding
• misreading
• mistaking
• misinterpreting
• misconstruing
• misperceiving
• misapprehending
• misknowing
• misjudging
• misconceiving
• misdeeming
• mishearing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• getting
• knowing
• seeing
• understanding
• catching
• seizing
• grasping
• appreciating
• perceiving
• penetrating
• apprehending
• comprehending
• taking in
• making out
• conceiving
• savvying
• fathoming
• grokking

3

as in failing

to be unsuccessful

everyone knows that most of the new television series will miss and be gone before anyone notices

Synonyms & Similar Words

• failing
• collapsing
• flopping
• struggling
• folding
• bombing
• striking out
• flunking
• foundering
• falling short
• coming up empty
• declining
• falling flat
• flaming out
• tanking
• laying an egg
• crashing
• washing out
• cratering
• coming to grief
• slipping
• dying on the vine
• coming a cropper
• floundering
• crumbling
• falling on one's face
• slumping
• waning
• sinking
• skidding
• misfiring
• going under
• miscarrying
• imploding
• self-destructing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• going
• succeeding
• delivering
• clicking
• working out
• going over
• coming off
• cooking
• thriving
• flourishing
• prospering
• winning
• panning out
• prevailing
• triumphing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of missing

Adjective

Tsuchioto's first order of business, then, was to ensure missing bits could never be a problem experienced with the Blackjaw. — New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026

Nepal is recovering from devastating August floods that killed more than 1,400 people and left nearly 6,000 missing. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

Verb

Florida would never recover after that, as a rash of injuries to other star players in addition to their captain saw the Panthers go from Cup favorites to missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Rescuers are still searching for more than 5,000 people missing in the border region with China after August’s glacier collapse unleashed landslides and a flash flood that tore through valleys. — Reuters, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026