wanting 1 of 3

adjective

ˈwän-tiŋ How to pronounce wanting (audio)
Definition of wantingnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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

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wanting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of want
1
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
2
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
3
as in wishing
to see fit do what you want

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4
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
Voters wanting to avoid long lines can use the site to find wait times and the nearest polling place. — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026 Engelbert was proud of all she's accomplished in her seven-year plus tenure as commissioner, but stopped short of wanting to discuss her own mark on the league. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Not wanting a didactic feel, Ebenstein eschewed labels for the art, artifacts, masks, toys, skeletal and wet specimens, wax scientific models, devotional objects, vintage taxidermy and books. — Dina Cheney, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2026 This idea of wanting to be yourself, being rejected, a lot of women get that. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 Michigan officials, not wanting to lose nuclear jobs or energy, encouraged Holtec to pursue reopening the plant and provided state funding. — Jennifer McDermott, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 The drawings were extraordinary, but the text — while unsurprisingly playful — was also tropey and wanting, and the wanting came in waves. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2026 With 39% of Gen Z wanting human support if something goes wrong, brands that quietly thinned call centers during the chatbot buildout will face measurable churn. — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026 Though Ursula loves her daughter, the film suggests that there are consequences for not always being keen on parenthood and for maybe sometimes wanting to live one’s own life. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanting
  1. wrong
  2. lacking
  3. absent
  4. without
  5. craving
  6. needing
  7. wishing
  8. liking
Adjective
  • Its argument is that insurers have been pricing wildfire risk the wrong way, by looking backward at statistics and sorting homes by zip code.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrong
Adjective
  • Illinois already ranks among the states with the highest property taxes in the nation, yet substantive efforts to relieve this burden remain entirely lacking.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Detroit Free Press and other Michigan- and national-based media organizations have said the claims are misleading or lacking context.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of lacking
Adjective
  • Advertisement The day after the raid, the Wilder School District reported absent rates soared, with 20% of students absent, according to The Idaho Statesman.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • After months absent from the campaign trail, Democrat Xavier Becerra has increased public appearances and began airing television ads as mail ballots reach California voters.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of absent
Preposition
  • Since the AeroSlider moves alongside the axles, its aerodynamic parts remain properly positioned without the need for additional adjustments.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The Afghan couple raised her for 18 months, but during that time the Masts also obtained a final adoption order from a Virginia court without notifying them.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of without
Verb
  • But Odysseus, craving road trip tunes after accidentally dropping his mix CDs into Charybdis, must hear their song.
    — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • That’s no longer what, a few years ago, might have been described as a cautious approach, not when audiences are making out-of-nowhere titles like Obsession and Backrooms into buzzy hits and craving something new.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of craving
Verb
  • With the offense reeling and needing confidence after halftime, Craig opened the third quarter with a beautiful 67-yard completion to Jordan Dwyer on the second offensive snap of the half.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Its nuclear reactor gives it enormous endurance without needing to surface or snorkel to operate diesel engines.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of needing
Verb
  • Desirée did not opt to petition for the return of the Cranach, not wishing to run an art dealership, but did successfully pursue restitution for other property.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But people getting along is rarely as simple as wishing it, and the truth remains that Harry and his brother Prince William are still feuding.
    — StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of wishing
Verb
  • That whole thing started with Chuck really liking cough syrups.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Add coffee grounds or loose tea leaves to its stainless-steel brewing filter, then tap a preset button for coffee, green tea, or black tea, or choose a temperature of your liking anywhere from 70°F to 205°F.
    — Matthew Huff, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of liking

Browse Nearby Words

wanted
wanting
wanton
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Cite this Entry

“Wanting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanting. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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