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.

Researchers still lack detailed databases describing the mechanical properties of DNA structures, and simulation tools for predicting behavior at this scale are not yet fully developed.

From Science Daily

Adopted by the National Football League in 2003 to address the lack of people of color in top coaching positions, the Rooney Rule requires franchises to interview at least one minority candidate.

From Barron's

But Anastasia also pointed to "the lack of a fatherhood culture".

From Barron's

Prime Minister Mark Carney said the video message showed "a lack of compassion", while politicians in French-speaking Quebec urged Rousseau to resign.

From BBC

He worries about how long it will take to replace the GM business and what the lack of work means for the city’s bottom line.

From The Wall Street Journal

lack

Usage

Example Sentences

Related Words