wanting 1 of 3

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
3

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
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2
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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
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

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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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