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

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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
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 While sports governing bodies such as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee have come to recognize that press freedom is an essential part of their commitments to uphold human rights, results are vastly lacking. — Gypsy Guillén Kaiser, Fortune, 23 June 2026 Of those lacking space, dozens of schools have a solution in place — such as an annex that’s already planned, a capital project that’s already sited, or excess space in a building with several schools that can be reallocated — according to the plan. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026 Coaches and teammates have struggled to remain in contact with him, and AIyuk’s rare social media posts have been both cryptic and lacking clues about his football ambitions. — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 3 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
  • Even despite all this, the task force observes that defensive arrays might be insufficient to stop rogue drone operators from succeeding in their goals.
    — Zita Ballinger Fletcher, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • Thune has repeatedly said there is insufficient Democratic support to overcome the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster and insufficient Republican support to eliminate it.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 30 July 2026
Definition of insufficient
Adjective
  • Suddenly, a genre that was all but entirely absent from the top of the charts just one decade ago has gone from large niche to dominating the mainstream.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
  • In contrast, this coordinated brain activity was absent in participants who interacted with expressionless robots.
    — Yigit Topoglu, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of absent
Verb
  • Still, there’s a reason Inside the Actors Studio ran for 22 seasons and the most fervent alt-rap acolytes are constantly begging their idols to empty their hard drives.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 29 July 2026
  • Online campaigns and Reddit threads pop up regularly begging Planters to revive them.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
Definition of begging
Adjective
  • Since big grocers in those areas are already scarce, the food deserts would expand, not shrink.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The companies positioned by this are the ones supplying the scarce inputs, the compute and the power sitting underneath every frontier model, American or Chinese alike.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of scarce
Adjective
  • Savannah Guthrie shared another emotional message Saturday morning, marking six months since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing, as authorities continue to search for answers in the case.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The Pima County Sheriff’s Department released two ransom notes on Friday related to the missing-person case, hoping the public might recognize the writing style.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of missing
Verb
  • The union is asking SCUSD to appeal the decision to California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • In the wake of Hugging Face, businesses are not only asking how to defend themselves against adversaries but also confronting the stark reality that AI systems designed to safeguard their networks could also turn up in unexpected places.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of asking
Adjective
  • The Civil Aeronautics Board attributed the accident to inadequate maintenance that contributed to the engine failure and to the captain’s handling of the aircraft after power was lost.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
  • Coffee that interferes with sleep may indirectly damage cardiovascular health, since inadequate sleep can adversely affect blood pressure, appetite, glucose regulation and overall well-being.
    — Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of inadequate
Verb
  • Palantir says insisting on using local suppliers can come at the expense of public services and safety.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
  • Improving diagnostics and supportive measures for autism For many years, clinicians have tried to treat differences in face processing by insisting autistic patients make eye contact—which researchers now know doesn’t work.
    — Isabella Backman, Hartford Courant, 25 July 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 5 Aug. 2026.

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