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Definitions

lack

[lak] / læk /
NOUN
deficiency, need
Synonyms
STRONGEST
absence dearth inadequacy loss paucity poverty reduction scarcity shortage shortcoming shortfall
STRONG
abridgement curtailment decrease default defect deficit depletion deprivation destitution distress exigency exiguity inferiority insufficiency meagerness miss necessity privation retrenchment scantiness shortness shrinkage shrinking slightness stint want
WEAK
insufficience
Antonyms
STRONGEST
abundance affluence enough excess plenty success sufficiency
STRONG
addition advantage enlargement expansion increase perfection
WEAK
extra lot plethora profusion surplus
VERB
do not have
Synonyms
STRONGEST
need require want
STRONG
minus miss out
WEAK
be deficient in be short of be without have need of hurting for not got too little too late
Antonyms
STRONGEST
dislike have

Usage

What are other ways to say lack? The verb lack means to be without or to have less than a desirable quantity of something: to lack courage, sufficient money, enough members to make a quorum. Need often suggests urgency, stressing the necessity of supplying what is lacking: to need an operation, better food, a match to light the fire. Require, which expresses necessity as strongly as need, occurs most frequently in serious or formal contexts: Your presence at the hearing is required. Successful experimentation requires careful attention to detail.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I do regret it,” she said of her buyout and her lack of preparation for life after work.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

In dissent, Judge Allison Eid wrote that Project Soy didn’t lack economic substance, partly because the government was just objecting to the timing of the transaction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Experts are already sounding alarms about underreporting, inconsistent data collection and delayed responses due to a lack of coordination between government centers and agencies, and weakened surveillance systems.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

But other populations are bright green and lack blotches, making them look almost identical to the redtail pit viper.

From Science Daily • Apr. 21, 2026

He was disillusioned with Soviet life, the lack of freedom, the constant fear.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Vocabulary lists containing lack

Zilch, Zip, Nada: Words For Nothing

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ACT Vocabulary List

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Nobody's Home: Synonyms For "Absent"

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