Home North American English wanting

Definition of wanting in US English:

wanting

adjective

1predicative Lacking in a certain required or necessary quality.
‘they weren't wanting in confidence’
‘their products would be found wanting in a direct comparison’
- ‘The standard of tax office internal safeguards, repeatedly found wanting, are again in question.’
- ‘They charged that his delay to fire ministers he found wanting was proof enough that his word could not be relied upon.’
- ‘We urge them to ensure this experiment is monitored continuously and, if found wanting, amended immediately.’
- ‘Yet the promises of technology were often found wanting, and each new technological development was swiftly matched by a counter-response.’
- ‘The home side's backline were found wanting time and again.’
- ‘Whether wanting is measured in quality or quantity depends entirely on the individuals concerned.’
- ‘In this area, Morrison was found wanting time and time again.’
- ‘It was from a sense of wanting to extend the way imagination can reveal the necessary knowledge.’
deficient, inadequate, lacking, insufficient, imperfect, not up to par, not up to standard, not good enough, disappointing, unsatisfying, unacceptable, not acceptable, not up to expectations, leaving much to be desired, flawed, faulty, defective, impaired, unsound, substandard, inferior, second-rate, poor, shabby, shoddy, patchy, sketchy, limited, restricted, incomplete, unfinished, unpolished, unrefined
without, lacking, devoid of, bereft of, bankrupt of, destitute of, empty of, deprived of, free from, free of, in need of
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1. 1.1 Not existing or supplied; absent.
  ‘the kneecap is wanting in amphibians and reptiles’
  ‘As the show drew to a close (after a disappointingly short 60 minutes) I was left wanting slightly more.’
  ‘Music Music Music was short enough to leave you wanting more, long enough to keep you interested to the very last note, without those tedious curtain breaks.’
  ‘If anything, the short, sharp shock of its visceral blues-punk left you wanting more - and more duly arrives in the shape of this follow-up.’
  ‘Short, sharp and definitely leaving you wanting more, The New Fellas could easily be the best ‘scene’ album of the year.’
  ‘Economically told, this is the kind of short that leaves you wanting more.’
  ‘It was just a long enough kiss to give me a taste, but just a short enough kiss to leave me wanting more, short enough that it didn't quench my need.’
  absent, missing, lacking, not there, not present, non-existent, not to be found, unavailable, short
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