- present participle of lack.
lacking
Americanpreposition
adjective
Etymology
Origin of lacking
Explanation
If something's lacking, there's not enough of it. Your new house may be lacking when it comes to comfortable chairs, leading your friends to lounge on the floor instead. If there's a shortage of something, it's lacking. You might also describe something that's deficient — or not quite good enough — as lacking. If a substitute teacher is lacking in skill when it comes to controlling a rowdy class, he'll be exhausted by the end of his first day on the job. Finally, you can use this word in the sense of "absent": If your older brother's appetite is lacking, he might be coming down with something — usually he can eat an entire pizza on his own.
Vocabulary lists containing lacking
Absent
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Empty
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Scarce
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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.
This larger figure includes those lacking a permanent residence or security of tenure, and includes families and children.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
"If you feel like it's a bit lacking," Jason says, "then, why not?"
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
They found that mice lacking CRH receptor 1 produced more OPCs during the early stages of development.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
On TikTok, young people dubbed personality hires are pushing back against the narrative that they are employed despite lacking skills.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
His task was so small, so monotonous, and so utterly lacking in interest that he found it almost impossible to keep even part of his mind on it.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
