Lacking — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb adjective /ˈlak/

Meaning & Definition of Lacking

Lacking (verb)

  1. to be deficient or missing
  2. to be short or have need of something
  3. to stand in need of, suffer from the absence or deficiency of

Lacking (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need

    "we felt the afternoon television offerings were somewhat lacking in entertainment value"

    similar: deficient, inadequate, insufficient, low, scarce, short, shy, wanting
    related: substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, hand-to-mouth, lean, light, meager, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, bare, mere, minimum, slight, small
    opposite: adequate, enough, sufficient
    near: abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plenitudinous, enlarged, expanded, supplemented, abounding, overflowing, teeming, satisfactory, tolerable, lavish, luxuriant, rich, big, considerable, hefty, jumbo, king-size, large, largish, oversize, sizable, substantial, super

  2. not present or in evidence

    "for the moment anyway, wood for the fireplace is lacking"

    similar: absent, missing, nonexistent, wanting
    related: dead, departed, extinct, lost, perished, vanished, defunct, done, expired, finished, lapsed, obsolete, over, passé, inadequate, insufficient, rare, scarce, sparse, uncommon
    opposite: existent, present
    near: active, alive, animate, living, thriving, current, going, prevailing, uncanceled, common, prevalent, apparent, conspicuous, evident, obvious, plain

Lacking (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in hurting (for)

    similar: hurting (for), asking, begging, clamoring (for), crying (for), commanding, enjoining, exacting, insisting, pressing, questing, stipulating, entailing, involving, bearing, challenging, claiming, demanding, necessitating, needing, requiring, taking, wanting, warranting
    opposite: having, holding, owning, possessing

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Lacking

The most common words with a similar meaning to Lacking:

deficient, inadequate, insufficient, low, scarce, short, shy, wanting, absent, missing, nonexistent, hurting (for), asking, begging, clamoring (for), crying (for), commanding, enjoining, exacting, insisting, pressing, questing, stipulating, entailing, involving, bearing, challenging, claiming, demanding, necessitating, needing, requiring, taking, warranting

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Lacking

Words with the opposite meaning of Lacking:

adequate, enough, sufficient, existent, present, having, holding, owning, possessing

Related Words for Lacking

substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, hand-to-mouth, lean, light, meager, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, bare, mere, minimum, slight, small, dead, departed, extinct, lost, perished, vanished, defunct, done

Near Antonyms of Lacking

abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plenitudinous, enlarged, expanded, supplemented, abounding, overflowing, teeming, satisfactory, tolerable, lavish, luxuriant, rich, big, considerable, hefty, jumbo, king-size, large, largish, oversize, sizable

Word Forms of Lacking

Inflections: lacked, lacks

Origin & Etymology of Lacking

First known use: 12th centuryi

Frequently Asked Questions about Lacking

What does "Lacking" mean?

"Lacking" means to be deficient or missing. As an a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: to be deficient or missing. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Lacking"?

Other words for "Lacking" include deficient, inadequate, insufficient, low, scarce, short, shy and wanting. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Lacking" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Lacking"?

There are 72 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Lacking". Common alternatives include deficient, inadequate, insufficient, low, scarce, short, shy, wanting, absent and missing.

What is the opposite of "Lacking"?

Antonyms of "Lacking" include adequate, enough, sufficient, existent, present, having, holding and owning. Near antonyms include abundant, ample, bounteous and bountiful.

How do you use "Lacking" in a sentence?

Examples of "Lacking" in a sentence: "we felt the afternoon television offerings were somewhat lacking in entertainment value"; "for the moment anyway, wood for the fireplace is lacking".

Is "Lacking" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Lacking" can be used as a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Lacking"?

"Lacking" is pronounced /ˈlak/.

What is the origin of the word "Lacking"?

First known use: 12th centuryi.