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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.

Research into UK food system vulnerabilities suggests that these breakdowns are often caused by organizational weaknesses rather than a lack of food.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

The lack of a timely handshake wasn’t Auriemma’s only complaint Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

But in many indigenous settlements on the outskirts, roads are potholed, classrooms overcrowded, clinics understaffed, electricity unreliable and residents lack secure land titles.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The agency has faced criticism locally for years for lack of proper oversight and the county is in the process of transitioning programs to an internal department.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Their faces were indistinguishable in the dark and their white outfits were muted by the lack of sunlight, but I could see that they were little boys running away from something—or someone.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.