wanting
/ˈwɒntɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈɑntɪŋ] /ˈwɑːntɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · [wˈɑntɪŋ] /ˈwän-tiŋ How to pronounce wanting (audio)/ (ame, mw)
wanting — adjective
- wantingpositive
- more wantingcomparative
- most wantingsuperlative
1. missing, absent, or too weak when something important is needed.
missing, absent, or too weak when something important is needed.
The final report was wanting in detail, so Mina asked for a revision.
be wanting in + noun
After months of drought, the village wells were wanting in fresh water.
The picnic basket was wanting a knife, so Sari used a spoon.
Her answer sounded confident, yet it was wanting in clear evidence.
文法句型
be wanting in + noun
be wanting + noun
用法筆記
This sense is usually formal and often appears after 'be'. It commonly names the exact quality or thing that is missing, especially in patterns such as 'wanting in detail' or 'wanting in courage'.
2. judged to fall short of the standard that people expected.
judged to fall short of the standard that people expected.
When the safety test ended, the new battery was found wanting.
be found wanting
Several voters found the mayor's housing plan wanting after the debate.
find + noun + wanting
The judges found the singer's final performance wanting in energy and control.
After three interviews, the panel still considered his leadership skills wanting.
- inadequate
the plain modern equivalent for not reaching the required level
- substandard
stronger and more critical; often used for quality control
- unsatisfactory
common in formal evaluations, reports, and reviews
- acceptable
meets the minimum standard
- satisfactory
good enough for the purpose being judged
文法句型
find + noun + wanting
consider + noun + wanting
用法筆記
This sense is most common when someone evaluates a plan, performance, or person and decides it does not meet expectations. It often appears in the set expression 'found wanting'.
wanting — preposition
1. used in old or literary English to mean 'without'.
used in old or literary English to mean 'without'.
The old house stood wanting a roof for nearly a year.
old-fashioned: wanting + noun
The child came home wanting shoes and a warm coat.
The valley lay wanting rain through the whole dry summer.
The old letter reached us wanting any clear date or signature.
- with
marks the presence of the thing mentioned
文法句型
wanting + noun
用法筆記
This prepositional use is now rare and mainly appears in older literary or formal writing. Modern English almost always uses 'without' instead.
2. used in old-fashioned English to show that an amount is short by something.
used in old-fashioned English to show that an amount is short by something.
It was wanting three days to Easter when the roads finally opened.
time remaining before an event
The walk was wanting two kilometres when the storm turned us around.
The school fund stood wanting fifty dollars after the raffle ended.
Her savings were wanting a few hundred dollars for the train ticket.
- plus
shows addition rather than subtraction or shortage
文法句型
be wanting + amount
be wanting + amount + to + total
用法筆記
This sense is highly old-fashioned. In modern English, people usually say 'short of', 'minus', or 'still needed' instead.