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
Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Oct. 2025
Given no choice, María Ángeles acquiesces to her daughter’s wishes and moves into the seniors’ home, where a hilarious exchange with a hairdresser wanting to chop off her long silver tresses typifies her iron-willed refusal to settle in.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Experts recommend ending play sessions while your dog is still excited, so they’re left wanting more.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
There are good reasons for wanting to learn from Switzerland’s experience.
—Peter Vanham, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Brown has discussed wanting to play faster, a pledge all 30 teams declare heading into the preseason.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
From there, Towanda pressed Tamar about not wanting to film with the group, a question Tamar brushed off, hinting that her sisters already knew the reason why.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 26 Sep. 2025
That was Ric consciously wanting to challenge the listeners.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
The Maginot is quite contained and claustrophobic, which lent itself to me wanting to be more quadrupedic than bipedal.
—Leia Mendoza, Variety, 26 Sep. 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
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, 3 Oct. 2025
Given no choice, María Ángeles acquiesces to her daughter’s wishes and moves into the seniors’ home, where a hilarious exchange with a hairdresser wanting to chop off her long silver tresses typifies her iron-willed refusal to settle in.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Experts recommend ending play sessions while your dog is still excited, so they’re left wanting more.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
There are good reasons for wanting to learn from Switzerland’s experience.
—Peter Vanham, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Brown has discussed wanting to play faster, a pledge all 30 teams declare heading into the preseason.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
From there, Towanda pressed Tamar about not wanting to film with the group, a question Tamar brushed off, hinting that her sisters already knew the reason why.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 26 Sep. 2025
That was Ric consciously wanting to challenge the listeners.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
The Maginot is quite contained and claustrophobic, which lent itself to me wanting to be more quadrupedic than bipedal.
—Leia Mendoza, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanting
Adjective
-
There’s something wrong with them right away.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Mike McDaniel said Wright did nothing wrong, but Miami needed more bodies on defense and special teams.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Art that truly centres girlhood, meanwhile, had too often been dismissed as sentimental or lacking intellectual rigor.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The film’s overall low-key tenor downplays both moral judgment and conspicuous style, though neither are entirely lacking.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
No victims speak in court While the court heard several pleas from Combs’ supporters Friday, the victims who testified at trial were noticeably absent from the hearing.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Sultana has tepidly supported this bid but been conspicuously absent from Your Party’s recent social-media posts.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
4 Oct. 2025
Preposition
-
Its propulsion system uses non-toxic materials, which allows soldiers to handle it safely without protective gear immediately after touchdown.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The research, conducted without her knowledge, was commissioned by a potential political rival, according to the person who carried out the opposition research, who asked for anonymity because the poll was a private survey.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
People might be craving horror as a way to make sense of this madness.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Viewers craving something more concrete are less likely to remain tolerant for the full journey.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
According to The Information, OpenAI chief Sam Altman has floated eventually needing 250 gigawatts of electricity — equivalent to about a third of peak power consumption across the US.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Through the first four weeks of the season, the Seattle Seahawks have one of the league’s best defenses despite needing to play various defensive back combinations because of injuries in the secondary.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Following the release, Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence and disarmament would receive amnesty, with safe passage offered to those wishing to leave Gaza for countries that have agreed to receive them.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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On September 27, Middleton showed off the hat in an Instagram post while wishing the team good luck in the Women's Rugby World Cup Final.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And social director Kassidy Silva bashfully admitted to liking Tabi nails with the peeking-through-hands emoji.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
24 Sep. 2025
-
No matter how meritless the lawsuit (for example, the Times suit boils down to simply not liking the coverage), several companies settled in order to curry favor.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wanting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanting. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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