wanting
/ˈwɒntɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈɑntɪŋ] /ˈwɑːntɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · [wˈɑntɪŋ] /ˈwän-tiŋ How to pronounce wanting (audio)/ (ame, mw)
wanting — 形容詞
- wantingpositive
- more wantingcomparative
- most wantingsuperlative
1. missing, absent, or too weak when something important is needed.
欠缺
缺少需要的東西或品質
missing, absent, or too weak when something important is needed.
The final report was wanting in detail, so Mina asked for a revision.
最後那份報告欠缺細節，所以 Mina 要求再修改一次。
be wanting in + noun
After months of drought, the village wells were wanting in fresh water.
旱災持續了好幾個月後，村裡的井都缺少乾淨的水。
The picnic basket was wanting a knife, so Sari used a spoon.
野餐籃裡少了一把刀，所以 Sari 只好用湯匙。
Her answer sounded confident, yet it was wanting in clear evidence.
她的回答聽起來很有自信，但欠缺明確的證據。
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.
未達標
被認為不夠好
judged to fall short of the standard that people expected.
When the safety test ended, the new battery was found wanting.
安全測試結束時，這款新電池被認定未達標。
be found wanting
Several voters found the mayor's housing plan wanting after the debate.
辯論結束後，幾位選民認為市長的住宅計畫未達標。
find + noun + wanting
The judges found the singer's final performance wanting in energy and control.
評審認為那位歌手最後一輪的表演在活力和控制力上都未達標。
After three interviews, the panel still considered his leadership skills wanting.
經過三次面試後，小組仍覺得他的領導能力未達標。
- 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 — 介系詞
1. used in old or literary English to mean 'without'.
沒有
古語中表示缺少
used in old or literary English to mean 'without'.
The old house stood wanting a roof for nearly a year.
那棟老房子有將近一年都沒有屋頂。
old-fashioned: wanting + noun
The child came home wanting shoes and a warm coat.
那孩子回到家時，沒有鞋子，也沒有保暖外套。
The valley lay wanting rain through the whole dry summer.
整個乾燥的夏天裡，那片山谷一直沒有雨水。
The old letter reached us wanting any clear date or signature.
那封舊信送到我們手上時，沒有清楚日期，也沒有署名。
- 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.
差；少
古語中表示還差多少
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.
道路終於開通時，離復活節還差三天。
time remaining before an event
The walk was wanting two kilometres when the storm turned us around.
暴風雨逼得我們折返時，這段路程還差兩公里才走完。
The school fund stood wanting fifty dollars after the raffle ended.
義賣結束後，學校基金還差五十美元。
Her savings were wanting a few hundred dollars for the train ticket.
她的存款還差幾百美元才買得起那張火車票。
- 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.