lacking 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in insufficient
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need we felt the afternoon television offerings were somewhat lacking in entertainment value

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in absent
not present or in evidence for the moment anyway, wood for the fireplace is lacking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lacking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of lack
as in begging

Related Words

Dissimilar 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 lacking
Adjective
Ohio's fittest cities don't rank in the national top 25, but that doesn't mean the Buckeye State is unhealthy or lacking amenities. — Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026 Where to Stay Ely hosts a handful of hotels and motels within town limits, but true luxury accommodations are somewhat lacking. — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026 Which is to say quality constraints on what Paramount could conceivably dump into theaters are totally lacking. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026 So a resistance surveillance network across places where this is lacking, such as northwestern Nigeria, would bring a huge return on investment. — Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Despite severely lacking resources, the monuments men and women were able to find and retrieve more than five million items, many of them artworks that had been stolen by the Axis forces. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026 Rival broadcasters Channel 4 and Channel 5 — both reliant on advertising revenue and lacking Sky’s pay-TV cushion — are expected to raise competition concerns. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026 Shuffling the opposition across to make space for a switch to the far side is a viable method of attack, but that can then come at the cost of a central box presence, with Portugal lacking runners beyond the ball. — Mark Carey, New York Times, 2 July 2026 An honest review would tell you the coordination was a little lacking in this particular bit of maritime cosplay. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacking
  1. insufficient
  2. absent
  3. begging
  4. scarce
  5. missing
  6. asking
  7. inadequate
  8. insisting
Adjective
  • Prevents Calcium Deficiency That Can Reduce Bone Strength Individuals with reduced calcium absorption or insufficient dietary intake may be at risk of calcium deficiency and may require a supplement.
    — Jennifer Lefton, Verywell Health, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But tariffs alone proved insufficient to tackle the security risks that come with Chinese monopoly power, and Washington has begun to experiment with many more tools of industrial policy.
    — Chad P. Bown, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of insufficient
Adjective
  • Commissioners Steve Harrelson and Raymond Jarvis were present while Michael White, the chairman, was absent.
    — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The effort, which had major bipartisan support, was abandoned in favor of vote pairing, an informal arrangement where an absent lawmaker coordinates with an opposing lawmaker who agrees to abstain or withhold their vote.
    — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of absent
Verb
  • Gianni Infantino went from immovable king of football to touring the world, begging people for support.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In the wake of Curry’s death, the Who Done It crew are begging Paramount to trawl its vaults and release the cut.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of begging
Adjective
  • For reference, antimony is a relatively scarce metal/mineral used in things like flame retardants, batteries, electronics, and defense applications.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • David Szondy/New Atlas What was needed was a cheap, effective weapon that could be produced quickly and in large numbers with the scarce resources available in a country committed to total war.
    — David Szondy August 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of scarce
Adjective
  • There’s no indication that the latest disaster, which has killed more than 600 people and left around 3,000 more missing on both sides of the border, was linked to manmade development.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Approximately 100 Americans remain missing, while five have been rescued, the department said Saturday.
    — Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of missing
Verb
  • Organizations often compete for the same experienced talent rather than asking who is creating the capability everyone wants to hire.
    — Sheila Callaham, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Four baby goats from a North Carolina mobile petting zoo tested positive for rabies and were euthanized, and health officials are asking anyone who may have had contact with them to reach out for possible treatment.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of asking
Adjective
  • According to the whistleblower, testing of this new system has been inadequate.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Gartner predicts that over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027, citing escalating costs, unclear business value and inadequate risk controls.
    — Emily Lewis-Pinnell, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of inadequate
Verb
  • Republicans decided to risk it, insisting that eight months before an election was too soon to consider an outgoing President’s nominee.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • That hasn’t stopped Casinos and sportsbooks, who have every reason to feel threatened by a more fair and transparent model, from insisting these markets have no economic utility.
    — Brian Quintenz, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of insisting

Browse Nearby Words

lackeys
lacking
lackluster
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Cite this Entry

“Lacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacking. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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