WANTED Synonyms: 146 Similar and Opposite Words

wanted 1 of 2

adjective

as in liked

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Dissimilar Words

wanted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of want

as in craved

to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy I want a new car so badly!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in needed

to have as a requirement that stray cat wants food and a clean place to sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wished

to see fit do what you want

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in enjoyed

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 wanted

Adjective

Front and rear parking sensors are the second-most wanted feature that new car buyers are looking for in 2026. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026 The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of $20,000 for information that leads to an arrest of one of the agency's most wanted suspects in a 2001 double murder in Buckhead. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026 On 29 July, Russia’s Federal Security Service charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism and placed him on an international wanted list. — Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 Strong, once the most infamous and most wanted person in the country, had faded into obscurity. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026 Mindich, an old friend of Zelensky’s, is now a wanted fugitive in Ukraine, hiding out in Israel to escape arrest on charges of large-scale corruption. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 Satinderjeet Singh remains a fugitive and has ties to Sacramento, Fresno, Canada, India and Mexico, according to a wanted flier distributed by the FBI. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 Guerrero, 42, had been one of the most wanted criminal figures in the hemisphere. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 June 2026 The wanted person flyer does not have any information about wrist tattoos, however, noted Josh Ritter, a California attorney and Fox News contributor who has been following the case. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026

Verb

Rocky start for Loop Minter wanted to look at the tape first. — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026 At a loss for words…just wanted to mark this moment and share your ever ready and present smile. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026 On the contrary, DeSantis criticized his own party for not demanding a candidate debate that Fishback wanted. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026 Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner wanted to own an NBA franchise and had the money for a big purchase. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 If the Democratic Party wanted to pass a national version of the DPA, thousands of DSPs would be outlawed and hundreds of thousands of DSP employees would either lose their jobs or be hired by Amazon. — Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026 Apart from the necessary preservation of these elements, Daytrip wanted to stay true to Gwynne’s architectural vision. — Nicolas Milon, Architectural Digest, 15 Aug. 2026 Some really wanted media consumption — a more immersive kind of experience. — Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 Embassy officials contacted Lebanon’s prosecutor’s office to tell them that Issa is wanted in Syria, the officials said. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanted

Adjective

Wisconsin is famous for its Friday fish fry, and regulars are fiercely loyal to their preferred local restaurants.

— CBS News, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Of those families, the district accommodated 69% of the requests, while about 118 families were not transferred to their preferred school, Spielberg said.

— Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of preferred

Verb

To avoid a runoff, Graham Nordone needed to pass the 50% threshold in Tuesday’s special primary election, as South Carolina law requires a candidate to win more than half of the vote to secure their party’s nomination.

— Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2026
But because the late senator had been seeking reelection and already secured the nomination in June, Republicans also needed a new candidate on the ballot.

— Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of needed

Verb

Nearly 30 years after his father went missing, Ademi both feared and wished that his remains will finally be found.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Older Generations Regret Not Traveling More A poll of 2,000 adults found New Zealand, Japan and Australia were the locations older generations most wished to visit but had never been to.

— Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of wished

Verb

Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, was forced to roll out a second artificial surface after the World Cup because its first attempt didn’t pass an independent lab test as required by the NFL and NFLPA.

— Tim Graham, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
According to party rules, officials, especially those who hold leadership positions, are required to declare a change in marital status, so they’re flagged for oversight and potentially monitored for any links to corruption.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of required

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Style

“Wanted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanted. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of wanted

adjective

verb

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