WANTING Synonyms: 357 Similar and Opposite Words

wanting 1 of 3

adjective

ˈwän-tiŋ

Definition of wanting

as in wrong

falling short of a standard we tried her cooking and found it to be very wanting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in absent

not present or in evidence grass is almost entirely wanting in that arid wasteland

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

wanting

2 of 3

preposition

as in without

not having a mitten wanting its mate

Synonyms & Similar Words

wanting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of want

as in craving

to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy I want a new car so badly!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in needing

to have as a requirement that stray cat wants food and a clean place to sleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wishing

to see fit do what you want

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as in liking

to wish to have I want some ice cream for dessert, please

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 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

For travelers wanting a bit more comfort, business class provides a noticeable upgrade. — Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2026 One beach local says that tourists wanting to create a party atmosphere takes away from the sound of the ocean and the enjoyment of others. — Susan B. Barnes, Southern Living, 14 July 2026 In fact, many were tourists who stumbled on it after getting off the Amtrak, wanting to see the iconic train station. — Kansas City Star, 11 July 2026 The former couple has previously opened up about wanting to welcome children together through IVF. — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 11 July 2026 Obviously, the whole focal point is winning and wanting to get back to that championship stage. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026 Turkey, not wanting to go out without a fight, converted all of their three shots on target (from nine attempts) after failing to convert any of their previous 13 (from 62 attempts). — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 11 July 2026 Here’s what state health officials recommend for capital region swimmers wanting to hit the lake this summer. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026 The brand offers travel experiences that keep everyone wanting more, at every price point imaginable. — Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanting

Adjective

First, the medals were the wrong colour; this was the ‘Bronze Final’ after all.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026
That turned out to be wrong for a meaningful minority of them, whose brains were generating signals our methods were not sensitive enough to pick up.

— Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 July 2026

Definition of wrong

Adjective

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, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026
Furthermore, beware of any ancestral diet that is completely lacking in particular nutrients and the foods that bring them such as grains that bring fiber and different vitamins and minerals.

— Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of lacking

Adjective

That’s not to say the politics that so often dominate our lives were absent or should have been ignored.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Elsewhere, the attempts to push the beloved main characters of the first series (minus Suki, inexplicably absent) into adulthood yield mostly disappointing results.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 July 2026

Definition of absent

Preposition

Unlike conventional power plants, fusion aims to generate electricity by fusing light atomic nuclei, producing large amounts of energy without carbon emissions during operation.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026
By purchasing the Staycation Parks Pass for $25, however, park goers can enter with their own vehicles without paying for each individual visit.

— Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026

Definition of without

Verb

Satisfy your lasagna craving without dirtying up a pile of dishes.

— Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 9 July 2026
From Mongolia’s vast Gobi Desert and China’s high-altitude wine country to India’s wildlife-rich heartland, these destinations offer the cultural depth, natural beauty and sense of exclusivity that seasoned travelers are increasingly craving.

— Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of craving

Verb

After a strong start to the tournament, the reigning champions teetered on the brink of elimination throughout the knockout stage, trailing Egypt and England until the closing stages, needing extra time to overcome Cape Verde and Switzerland.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Running through August 9, the deals are now officially open to everyone, meaning shoppers can access some of the biggest markdowns of the season without needing Nordstrom cardholder status.

— Camila Quimper, Footwear News, 20 July 2026

Definition of needing

Verb

Barbados is, unsurprisingly, an excellent spot for scuba diving, and for those wishing to finally pick up their PADI license.

— Jonnie Bayfield, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026
During the war, soldiers sent to the front lines each carried a hinomaru flag covered with the signatures of their family and friends wishing them good luck.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026

Definition of wishing

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wanted

wanting

wanton

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Style

“Wanting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanting. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of wanting

adjective

preposition

verb

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