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

There are committee members who are protecting their turf, not wanting to offend the powers that be. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026 For years, Democratic candidates were terrified of being accused of wanting to raise taxes. — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 The impetus for some of those claiming the name was a desire to offer the woman some protection in this digital age, in response to those wanting to identify her real name online. — Deepti Hajela, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 As the Iran war continued — and central banks worldwide began raising rates — members began favoring a hike, with three members wanting a quarter-point hike. — Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026 After the game, Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz emphasized wanting to run better on first and second down. — Pj Green october 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026 Part of wanting to get out of town had to do with difficulties filming season seven with her castmates. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2026 Years later, after his family expressed interest in wanting to be reunited with his work, the Milwaukee Art Museum came up with a way to ethically and legally transfer the vessels to Drake’s descendants, per the Journal Sentinel. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2026 Beyond wanting reform of existing religious options, these various sects differed greatly from each other. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanting

Adjective

September 23 – October 22 Money and social plans could rub each other the wrong way today.

— Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
Signing the wrong license, particularly for the first one, can be an expensive mistake.

— David Born, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrong

Adjective

But concrete evidence of Clark fans acting in a hateful manner — at least in real time — is severely lacking.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
With access from both the east and west sides of the campus, the museum’s park creates a pedestrian connection between Vermont Avenue to the west and the rest of Exposition Park to the east, which was previously lacking.

— Christina Merino, Daily News, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of lacking

Adjective

The usual bleary nausea of such early rises is absent, shooed away by sobriety, exercises, and fruits and vegetables.

— CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
And most experts don’t think there will be much relief for homebuyers in the next year or so, absent some big changes, such as the war in Iran ending or oil prices dramatically falling.

— Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of absent

Preposition

When Blue Cross Blue Shield recently published research suggesting that hospitals use artificial intelligence tools to extract more money from insurers without providing additional care, people were mad.

— Leah Pierson, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on Flock Safety to delete the personal data of people without a criminal record and to answer questions about the use of that data in a letter to Flock CEO Garrett Langley on Sunday.

— Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of without

Verb

Nirvana hit this moment like manna falling in the desert — these three Seattle brats were everything the new Nineties kids were craving.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026
La Gradiva will be in theaters on December 18, just when your body is craving the Italian sun the most.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of craving

Verb

The 0-3 Chargers visit Seattle on Sunday needing a turnaround; only seven teams in the Super Bowl era have started 0-3 and still reached the playoffs.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Future uses for the approach include any number of stronger, lighter structures and materials needing protection from vibration and shaking.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of needing

Verb

But the pitching staff needs more than a tweak — more than hoping and wishing some internal candidates take the opportunity and run with it.

— Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Probably recordings of them complimenting one another and wishing each other a happy birthday and offering brotherly advice.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of wishing

Browse Nearby Words

wanted

wanting

wanton

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Wanting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanting. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of wanting

adjective

preposition

verb

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