Synonyms of lack

19 similar words · 5 opposite words

Another word for lack is want. Other synonyms of lack are deficit, shortage, deficiency, insufficiency and dearth.

Synonyms and similar words for lack

dearthScarcity; a lack or short supply.
deficiencyInadequacy or incompleteness.
deficitDeficiency in amount or quality; a falling short; lack.
dejectionA low condition; weakness; inability.
inadequacyA lack of competence or ability.
infrequency
insufficiencyThe lack of sufficiency: a shortage, the state of having or being not enough (of something).
meagernessThe state of being meager.
nonsufficiencyInsufficiency.
penuryOften followed by of: a lack of something; a dearth, a scarcity.
rarenessThe property of being rare; rarity.
rarity
scantiness
scarcity
shortageA lack or deficiency; an insufficient amount.
shortcomingA deficiency or falling short; failure to attain a goal or ideal.
unsufficiency
wantLack, absence, deficiency.

glutAn excess, too much.
surplusThat which remains when use or need is satisfied, or when a limit is reached; excess; overplus; overage.
plethora

adequacyThe quality of being sufficient, adequate or able to meet the needs.
excessThe state of surpassing or going beyond a limit; the state of being beyond sufficiency, necessity, or duty; more than...

noun A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want, dearth.
noun A defect or failing; moral or spiritual degeneracy.
verb To be without, not to have, to need, to require.

What is another word for lack?: Lack has 19 synonyms on Word.ws, such as want, deficit, shortage, deficiency, insufficiency, dearth, inadequacy and penury.
What is the opposite of lack?: The opposite of lack is surplus. Other antonyms of lack are excess, glut, adequacy and plethora.
What does lack mean?: Lack means a deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want, dearth.

Adapted from Wiktionary: lack (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “Synonyms of lack.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/lack. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.