Wanting — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective preposition verb /ˈwän-tiŋ/ want·ing

Meaning & Definition of Wanting

Wanting (adjective)

  1. not present or in evidence, absent
  2. not being up to standards or expectations
  3. lacking in ability or capacity, deficient

Wanting (preposition)

  1. without
  2. less, minus

Wanting (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. falling short of a standard

    "we tried her cooking and found it to be very wanting"

    similar: bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack (slang), wretched, wrong, below par, from hunger
    related: abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin' (slang), brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly (slang), horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky (slang), terrible, unspeakable, defective, faulty, flawed, egregious, flagrant, gross, bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, reprehensible, rotten, rubbishy, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy, abominable, odious, vile, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, meager, mean, miserly, scanty, shabby, short, skimp, skimpy, spare, stingy, miscreant, scurrilous, villainous, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham
    opposite: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable
    near: classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss (slang), capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, sufficient, average, borderline, fair, mediocre, middling, minimal, so-so, unexceptional, suitable, useful, worthy, gratifying, satisfying

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

    "at this time of year food for many wild animals is wanting"

    similar: deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, low, scarce, short, shy
    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

  3. not present or in evidence

    "grass is almost entirely wanting in that arid wasteland"

    similar: absent, lacking, missing, nonexistent
    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

Wanting (preposition) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not having

    "a mitten wanting its mate"

    similar: absent, minus, sans, without

Wanting (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy

    "I want a new car so badly!"

    similar: aching (for), coveting, craving, desiderating, desiring, dying (for), hankering (for or after), hungering (for), itching (for), jonesing (for) (slang), longing (for), lusting (for or after), panting (after), pining (for), repining (for), salivating (for), sighing (for), thirsting (for), wishing (for), yearning (for), yenning (for), setting one's heart on
    related: spoiling (for), adoring, delighting (in), digging, enjoying, fancying, grooving (on), liking, loving, relishing, reveling (in), favoring, preferring, admiring, appreciating, cherishing, prizing, treasuring, valuing
    near: abhorring, abominating, despising, detesting, execrating, hating, loathing, declining, refusing, rejecting, spurning

  2. to have as a requirement

    "that stray cat wants food and a clean place to sleep"

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

  3. to see fit

    "do what you want"

    similar: choosing, liking, pleasing, willing, wishing
    related: aching (for), coveting, craving, desiring, dying (for), fancying, hankering (for), hungering (for), itching (for), longing (for), lusting (for or after), panting (after), pining (for), repining (for), sighing (for), thirsting (for), yearning (for), deciding, determining, resolving

  4. to wish to have

    "I want some ice cream for dessert, please"

    similar: caring (for), liking, feeling like
    related: adoring, delighting (in), digging, enjoying, fancying, grooving (on), loving, relishing, reveling (in), welcoming, coveting, craving, desiring, dying (for), hankering (for or after), wishing (for), yearning (for)

Related Entry: Want (verb)

Want is a different word from Wanting. The synonyms below are for want, not for wanting.

  1. to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy

    "I want a new car so badly!"

    similar: ache (for), covet, crave, desiderate, desire, die (for), hanker (for or after), hunger (for), itch (for), jones (for) (slang), long (for), lust (for or after), pant (after), pine (for), repine (for), salivate (for), sigh (for), thirst (for), wish (for), yearn (for), yen (for), set one's heart on
    related: spoil (for), adore, delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), like, love, relish, revel (in), favor, prefer, admire, appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value
    near: abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe, decline, refuse, reject, spurn

  2. to have as a requirement

    "that stray cat wants food and a clean place to sleep"

    similar: bear, challenge, claim, demand, necessitate, need, require, take, warrant, call for
    related: entail, involve, ask, beg, clamor (for), cry (for), hurt (for), lack, command, enjoin, exact, insist, press, quest, stipulate
    opposite: have, hold
    near: own, possess

  3. to see fit

    "do what you want"

    similar: choose, like, please, will, wish
    related: ache (for), covet, crave, desire, die (for), fancy, hanker (for), hunger (for), itch (for), long (for), lust (for or after), pant (after), pine (for), repine (for), sigh (for), thirst (for), yearn (for), decide, determine, resolve

  4. to wish to have

    "I want some ice cream for dessert, please"

    similar: care (for), like, feel like
    related: adore, delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), love, relish, revel (in), welcome, covet, crave, desire, die (for), hanker (for or after), wish (for), yearn (for)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Wanting

The most common words with a similar meaning to Wanting:

Slang: wack, jonesing (for)
bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wretched, wrong, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, low, scarce, short, shy, absent, missing, nonexistent, below par, from hunger, minus, sans, without, aching (for), coveting

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Wanting

Words with the opposite meaning of Wanting:

acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable, enough, sufficient, existent, present, having, holding

Related Words for Wanting

abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin', brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly, horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky, terrible, unspeakable, defective, faulty, flawed, egregious, flagrant, gross, bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy

Near Antonyms of Wanting

classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss, capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium

Origin & Etymology of Wanting

First known use: 15th century

Words & Phrases Containing Wanting

found wanting

Frequently Asked Questions about Wanting

What does "Wanting" mean?

"Wanting" means not present or in evidence, absent. As an an adjective, a preposition and a verb, it is defined as: not present or in evidence, absent. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Wanting"?

Other words for "Wanting" include bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory and ill. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Wanting" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Wanting"?

There are 209 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Wanting". Common alternatives include bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior and lame.

What is the opposite of "Wanting"?

Antonyms of "Wanting" include acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable and respectable. Near antonyms include classic, classical, A1 and bang-up.

How do you use "Wanting" in a sentence?

Examples of "Wanting" in a sentence: "we tried her cooking and found it to be very wanting"; "at this time of year food for many wild animals is wanting"; "grass is almost entirely wanting in that arid wasteland".

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

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

How do you pronounce "Wanting"?

"Wanting" is pronounced /ˈwän-tiŋ/ and divided into syllables as want·ing.

What is the origin of the word "Wanting"?

First known use: 15th century.