Synonyms of wanting

wanting 1 of 3

adjective

ˈwän-tiŋ 

1

as in wrong

falling short of a standard

we tried her cooking and found it to be very wanting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wrong
• unacceptable
• poor
• lame
• bad
• deficient
• lacking
• off
• flawed
• ill
• horrible
• pathetic
• terrible
• disastrous
• bastard
• awful
• from hunger
• sour
• unsatisfactory
• inferior
• wretched
• suboptimal
• bush
• crummy
• substandard
• brutal
• inadequate
• punk
• dreadful
• insufficient
• subpar
• lousy
• short
• wack
• dissatisfactory
• defective
• rotten
• paltry
• useless
• below par
• miserable
• worthless
• gross
• bum
• lesser
• detestable
• deplorable
• spare
• common
• unspeakable
• stinky
• faulty
• damnable
• bush-league
• mean
• atrocious
• abysmal
• crappy
• sucky
• flagrant
• mediocre
• vile
• shoddy
• gnarly
• horrendous
• egregious
• low-grade
• abominable
• trashy
• cheesy
• low-rent
• scanty
• bitchin'
• fake
• execrable
• skimpy
• reprehensible
• shabby
• second-rate
• stingy
• coarse
• sleazy
• valueless
• junky
• odious
• miserly
• meager
• skimp
• cut-rate
• counterfeit
• scurrilous
• phony
• rubbishy
• sham
• villainous
• miscreant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequate
• satisfactory
• acceptable
• standard
• all right
• fine
• decent
• great
• OK
• perfect
• keen
• better
• classical
• sufficient
• excellent
• respectable
• choice
• tolerable
• classic
• mean
• prime
• wonderful
• special
• passable
• superior
• top
• divine
• splendid
• neat
• grand
• fancy
• par excellence
• terrific
• superb
• banner
• noble
• sensational
• marvelous
• first-class
• swell
• premium
• fabulous
• heavenly
• slick
• boss
• unsurpassed
• superlative
• exceptional
• average
• sterling
• stellar
• capital
• dandy
• suitable
• minimal
• useful
• worthy
• nifty
• A1
• fair
• high-grade
• mediocre
• first-rate
• borderline
• middling
• top-notch
• groovy
• satisfying
• bang-up
• gratifying
• tip-top
• high-test
• supernal
• crackerjack
• jim-dandy
• so-so
• unexceptional

2

as in lacking

not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need

at this time of year food for many wild animals is wanting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

3

as in absent

not present or in evidence

grass is almost entirely wanting in that arid wasteland

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

wanting

2 of 3

preposition

as in without

not having

a mitten wanting its mate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• without
• absent
• sans
• minus

wanting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of want

1

as in craving

to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy

I want a new car so badly!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• craving
• desiring
• enjoying
• dying (for)
• coveting
• preferring
• wishing (for)
• loving
• liking
• yearning (for)
• itching (for)
• panting (after)
• longing (for)
• sighing (for)
• hankering (for or after)
• hungering (for)
• thirsting (for)
• pining (for)
• lusting (for or after)
• aching (for)
• salivating (for)
• repining (for)
• desiderating
• admiring
• jonesing (for)
• relishing
• setting one's heart on
• yenning (for)
• fancying
• spoiling (for)
• digging
• valuing
• grooving (on)
• favoring
• appreciating
• adoring
• delighting (in)
• reveling (in)
• cherishing
• treasuring
• prizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hating
• despising
• refusing
• loathing
• detesting
• abhorring
• rejecting
• declining
• execrating
• abominating
• spurning

2

as in needing

to have as a requirement

that stray cat wants food and a clean place to sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• having
• holding
• possessing
• owning

3

as in wishing

to see fit

do what you want

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wishing
• pleasing
• choosing
• liking
• desiring
• willing
• craving
• fancying
• dying (for)
• coveting
• yearning (for)
• itching (for)
• panting (after)
• longing (for)
• sighing (for)
• aching (for)
• thirsting (for)
• pining (for)
• hungering (for)
• hankering (for)
• deciding
• resolving
• lusting (for or after)
• repining (for)
• determining

4

as in liking

to wish to have

I want some ice cream for dessert, please

Synonyms & Similar Words

• liking
• enjoying
• loving
• feeling like
• desiring
• welcoming
• caring (for)
• fancying
• craving
• relishing
• digging
• dying (for)
• wishing (for)
• yearning (for)
• delighting (in)
• grooving (on)
• reveling (in)
• coveting
• adoring
• hankering (for or after)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of wanting

Adjective

Verdon demanded much of herself and of others, in her relationships, in her work, and Williams captured that hunger, along with the vulnerability that so much wanting lays bare. — Susan Dominus Susan Dominus Photographs By Luis Alberto Rodriguez Styled By Charlotte Collet Nick Haramis Photographs By Lise Sarfati Styled By Suzanne Koller Sasha Weiss Photographs By Justin French Adam Bradley Photographs By D’angelo Lovell Williams Styled By Ian Bradley, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2022

Maybe our poor and wanting selves are our only authentic ones, and all others performances of convenience or necessity. — Rafia Zakaria, The New Republic, 5 May 2022

Don’t let your husband convince you that being needy and wanting affection are the same thing. — Annie Lane, oregonlive, 19 Nov. 2021

Lucero really has nowhere else to go but up after a subpar performance against a wanting pass defense and has the talent and poise to lead the offense in Tyler Johnston’s absence. — Evan Dudley, al, 29 Oct. 2020

Verb

The drawings were extraordinary, but the text — while unsurprisingly playful — was also tropey and wanting, and the wanting came in waves. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2026

With 39% of Gen Z wanting human support if something goes wrong, brands that quietly thinned call centers during the chatbot buildout will face measurable churn. — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026

Though Ursula loves her daughter, the film suggests that there are consequences for not always being keen on parenthood and for maybe sometimes wanting to live one’s own life. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

There are many reasons why women do not feel able to speak up, with the top one, at 52 percent, being their not wanting to burden others. — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026

OpenAI has vacillated between wanting to be the big consumer company and knowing that the revenue is in enterprise. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026

The relationship between Tommy and Vision will leave you wanting more from this family. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

And despite the city’s growing mental health resources, the most in-need residents are left wanting. — Vanessa Andersen, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Boo your front office too, Braves fans, for not wanting to play ball with Freeman. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026