If you find something or someone wanting, they are not of as high a standard as you think they should be.
He analysed his game and found it wanting.
Eleanor was scrutinized, too, and often found wanting.
He is wanting in moral constraints.
[Also + in]
Synonyms: deficient, poor, disappointing, inadequate More Synonyms of wanting
More Synonyms of wanting
wanting in British English
(ˈwɒntɪŋ)
adjective(postpositive)
1.
lacking or absent; missing
2.
not meeting requirements or expectations
you have been found wanting
preposition
3.
without
4. archaic
minus
wanting in American English
(ˈwɑntɪŋ)
adjective
1.
absent; lacking; missing
a coat with some buttons wanting
2.
not up to some standard; inadequate in some essential
weighed and found wanting
preposition
3.
lacking (something); without
a watch wanting a minute hand
4.
minus; less
a year wanting two weeks
Idioms:
wanting in
Examples of 'wanting' in a sentence
wanting
Her father, never wanting to leave Germany, was serving a life sentence for serial killing.
Jon Cleary YESTERDAY'S SHADOW (2002)
I'd refused, not wanting to run the risk of being recognized on the job.
Val McDermid DEAD BEAT (2002)
All related terms of 'wanting'
want
If you want something, you feel a desire or a need for it.
wanting in
deficient in
want out
If you want out , you no longer want to be involved in a plan, project , or situation that you are part of.
wantaway
a footballer who wants a transfer to another club
I don't want to/without wanting to
People sometimes say ' I don't want to be rude ', for example, or ' without wanting to be rude' as a way of apologizing or warning you when they are going to say something which might upset , annoy , or worry you.
1 (adjective)
Definition
not meeting requirements or expectations
She examined his work and found it wanting.
Synonyms
deficient
deficient landing systems
poor
poor wages and terrible working conditions
A poor crop has sent vegetable prices spiralling.
disappointing
The response to the appeal was disappointing.
inadequate
Supplies of food and medicine are inadequate.
pathetic
inferior
These recordings are of inferior quality.
insufficient
There was insufficient evidence to proceed.
faulty
not good enough
defective
food which is defective in nutritional quality
patchy
imperfect
We live in an imperfect world.
sketchy
unsound
substandard
a policy of clearing substandard housing
leaving much to be desired
not much cop (British, slang)
not up to par
not up to expectations
bodger or bodgie (Australian, slang)
Opposites
good
,
enough
,
sufficient
,
adequate
,
satisfactory
2 (adjective)
Definition
lacking
I feel as if something important is wanting in my life.
Synonyms
lacking
Why was military intelligence so lacking?
missing
One name was missing from the list.
absent
He has been absent from his desk for two weeks.
incomplete
Some offices had incomplete information on spending.
needing
short
Money was short in those days.
shy
Opposites
full
,
complete
,
saturated
,
replete
Additional synonyms
in the sense of absent
Definition
not present in a place or situation
He has been absent from his desk for two weeks.
Synonyms
away,
missing,
gone,
lacking,
elsewhere,
unavailable,
not present,
truant,
nonexistent,
nonattendant
in the sense of defective
food which is defective in nutritional quality
Synonyms
deficient,
lacking,
short,
inadequate,
insufficient,
incomplete,
scant
in the sense of disappointing
The response to the appeal was disappointing.
Synonyms
unsatisfactory,
inadequate,
discouraging,
sorry,
upsetting,
sad,
depressing,
unhappy,
unexpected,
pathetic,
inferior,
insufficient,
lame,
disconcerting,
second-rate,
unworthy,
not much cop (British, slang)
Nearby words of
wanting
wane
wangle
want
wanting
wanton
war
war cry
Related terms of
wanting
want
Synonyms of 'wanting'
wanting
Explore 'wanting' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of imperfect
Definition
having faults or errors
We live in an imperfect world.
Synonyms
flawed,
impaired,
faulty,
broken,
limited,
damaged,
partial,
unfinished,
incomplete,
defective,
patchy,
immature,
deficient,
rudimentary,
sketchy,
undeveloped,
inexact
in the sense of inadequate
Definition
not enough
Supplies of food and medicine are inadequate.
Synonyms
insufficient,
short,
scarce,
meagre,
poor,
lacking,
incomplete,
scant,
sparse,
skimpy,
sketchy,
insubstantial,
scanty,
niggardly,
incommensurate
in the sense of incomplete
Definition
not finished or whole
Some offices had incomplete information on spending.
Synonyms
unfinished,
partial,
insufficient,
wanting,
short,
lacking,
undone,
defective,
deficient,
imperfect,
undeveloped,
fragmentary,
unaccomplished,
unexecuted,
half-pie (New Zealand, informal)
in the sense of inferior
Definition
of poor quality
These recordings are of inferior quality.
Synonyms
substandard,
bad,
poor,
mean,
worse,
poorer,
pants (informal),
flawed,
rotten (informal),
dire,
indifferent,
duff (British, informal),
mediocre,
second-class,
deficient,
imperfect,
second-rate,
shoddy,
low-grade,
unsound,
downmarket,
low-rent (informal),
for the birds (informal),
wretched,
two-bit (slang),
crappy (slang),
no great shakes (informal),
poxy (slang),
dime-a-dozen (informal),
piss-poor (slang),
chickenshit (US, slang),
bush-league (Australian, New Zealand, informal),
not much cop (British, slang),
tinhorn (US, slang),
half-pie (New Zealand, informal),
of a sort or of sorts,
strictly for the birds (informal),
end-of-the-pier (British, informal),
bodger or bodgie (Australian, slang)
in the sense of insufficient
Definition
not enough for a particular purpose
There was insufficient evidence to proceed.
Synonyms
inadequate,
incomplete,
scant,
meagre,
short,
sparse,
deficient,
lacking,
unqualified,
insubstantial,
incommensurate
in the sense of missing
Definition
not included in something although it perhaps should have been
One name was missing from the list.
Synonyms
absent,
lacking,
left out,
not present,
wanting in,
not to be found in
in the sense of poor
Definition
lacking in (something)
poor wages and terrible working conditionsA poor crop has sent vegetable prices spiralling.