1
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in absent
not present or in evidence
grass is almost entirely wanting in that arid wasteland
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in craving
to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy
I want a new car so badly!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in needing
to have as a requirement
that stray cat wants food and a clean place to sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in wishing
to see fit
do what you want
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in liking
to wish to have
I want some ice cream for dessert, please
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wanting
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
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Oct. 2025
But just because regret or wanting your own life are taboo, does not make the sentiments any less real, or common.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 10 Oct. 2025
Their clash over wanting a family got interrupted by the fire.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
Not wanting her dog to overextend herself, Jess stopped Cammy from doing too many laps.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Those wanting to stream the show live can do so with a Peacock premium subscription, or stream new episodes the next day with a basic Peacock subscription.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Oct. 2025
The idea of sheep plays into wanting to break stereotypes, challenge stereotypes.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
People are wanting worse things than attention.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Ownership is volatile in the sense of wanting quick change if something isn’t producing immediate results.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
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
Fans wanting to attend the two games in Boise will have to sign up for the Banana Ball ticket lottery list, which will remain open through October.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Oct. 2025
But just because regret or wanting your own life are taboo, does not make the sentiments any less real, or common.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 10 Oct. 2025
Their clash over wanting a family got interrupted by the fire.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
Not wanting her dog to overextend herself, Jess stopped Cammy from doing too many laps.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Those wanting to stream the show live can do so with a Peacock premium subscription, or stream new episodes the next day with a basic Peacock subscription.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Oct. 2025
The idea of sheep plays into wanting to break stereotypes, challenge stereotypes.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
People are wanting worse things than attention.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Ownership is volatile in the sense of wanting quick change if something isn’t producing immediate results.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanting
Adjective
-
Surely, that will rub some the wrong way, but the Tide have now beaten three teams that haven’t lost to anyone else in Georgia, Vanderbilt and Missouri.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The desire behind the making of the series was to right that wrong.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And every year is subject to the quality of the free-agent class, and 2021’s starting pitching market was especially lacking.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Art that truly centres girlhood, meanwhile, had too often been dismissed as sentimental or lacking intellectual rigor.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But even with two of those players, Pulisic and Antonee Robinson, out of the starting 11 due to fitness concerns, and Sergiño Dest also absent due to injury, Pochettino went back to it.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
For the next three years, the league was largely absent from Chinese airwaves in China.—
Jessica Golden,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
Preposition
-
The Los Angeles Dodgers' already struggling bullpen will be without one of its key members as the team prepares for the NLCS.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The report also calculated the amount of PFNA that people could be exposed to without being harmed — a critical measurement that can be used to set limits for cleaning up PFNA contamination in Superfund sites and for removing the chemical from drinking water.—
Sharon Lerner,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Visiting the Magnolia properties in Waco, Texas, is a treat for the taste buds—but faraway fans who are craving a Silos Cookie are now able to bring all of the most popular Magnolia bites straight to their own kitchens.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Period Cravings Approaching the start of your period and craving all the chocolate?—
Jamie Johnson,
Verywell Health,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The extra-large water tank allows the machine to run for up to eight hours without needing to drain.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
-
It's been closed since, with equipment lost, and its dining room and bar needing to be completely rebuilt.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There was no such list, it was announced, and Epstein definitely committed suicide and wasn’t, as the conspiracy-minded suggest, murdered by those wishing to silence him.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
-
For more information or those wishing to decorate a trunk for the event, should call Patti at 714-974-2053 to register.—
Sharon Hlapcich,
Oc Register,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Mamdani took a particular liking to canvassing.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
-
But, while people may be looking, liking and following fashion more than ever, this isn’t necessarily translating to sales.—
Fiona Sinclair Scott,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wanting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanting. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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