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

This team has talked about wanting to be in the Super Bowl conversation. — Zak Keefer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

So was your decision to step away simply a case of wanting to do something else first, while the studio wanted to keep the pedal to the metal? — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Roy frames love itself as a form of resistance for characters, who are punished for wanting things. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

Nick Hitchon, a Yorkshire farmer’s son who became a nuclear scientist, approached the programme wanting to record a final message after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. — Will Barker, TheWeek, 7 Sep. 2026

This isn’t just a side effect of policy changes; senior administration officials have spoken openly about wanting federal workers to feel their traumatic and disruptive effects. — Brendan Griffith, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026

This is the broader trend of them not wanting anybody, including members of Congress, to understand what's going on. — CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026

The dissolution of the workout drew another round of skepticism, with many claiming Kaepernick was pulling a media stunt or was not serious about wanting to play again. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

And Billie and Greg’s ongoing ruse is classic sitcom fodder, even if there’s not much to it besides wanting to keep Samir happy. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026