Synonyms of want

want 1 of 2

verb

ˈwȯnt 

1

as in to crave

to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy

I want a new car so badly!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crave
• desire
• enjoy
• like
• prefer
• wish (for)
• love
• covet
• long (for)
• die (for)
• pine (for)
• itch (for)
• sigh (for)
• thirst (for)
• salivate (for)
• hunger (for)
• yearn (for)
• lust (for or after)
• hanker (for or after)
• pant (after)
• repine (for)
• yen (for)
• jones (for)
• ache (for)
• admire
• desiderate
• relish
• set one's heart on
• spoil (for)
• appreciate
• adore
• fancy
• dig
• delight (in)
• favor
• revel (in)
• value
• groove (on)
• cherish
• treasure
• prize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hate
• despise
• loathe
• refuse
• detest
• abhor
• reject
• decline
• spurn
• abominate
• execrate

2

as in to need

to have as a requirement

that stray cat wants food and a clean place to sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

• need
• require
• take
• demand
• involve
• necessitate
• claim
• challenge
• call for
• warrant
• ask
• beg
• entail
• bear
• insist
• cry (for)
• lack
• hurt (for)
• stipulate
• quest
• exact
• enjoin
• clamor (for)
• press
• command

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• have
• hold
• possess
• own

3

as in to wish

to see fit

do what you want

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wish
• please
• choose
• like
• will
• desire
• crave
• covet
• long (for)
• fancy
• die (for)
• pine (for)
• decide
• hunger (for)
• yearn (for)
• itch (for)
• sigh (for)
• thirst (for)
• resolve
• lust (for or after)
• pant (after)
• hanker (for)
• ache (for)
• determine
• repine (for)

4

as in to like

to wish to have

I want some ice cream for dessert, please

Synonyms & Similar Words

• like
• enjoy
• love
• feel like
• welcome
• fancy
• relish
• care (for)
• desire
• crave
• wish (for)
• delight (in)
• dig
• adore
• die (for)
• covet
• revel (in)
• groove (on)
• yearn (for)
• hanker (for or after)

want

2 of 2

noun

1

as in lack

the fact or state of being absent

the proverb that begins, "for want of a nail, the shoe was lost"

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lack
• absence
• shortage
• need
• dearth
• scarcity
• deficit
• necessity
• deficiency
• poverty
• paucity
• famine
• failure
• omission
• deprivation
• loss
• insufficiency
• inadequacy
• privation
• scantness
• scantiness
• vacuum
• needfulness
• inadequateness
• skimpiness
• scarceness
• meagerness
• undersupply
• void
• emptiness
• blankness
• vacuity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• plenty
• presence
• wealth
• abundance
• amplitude
• sufficiency
• surplus
• excess
• bounty
• deal
• lot
• supply
• adequacy
• plenitude
• flood
• fund
• quantity
• loads
• volume
• pile
• stack
• stock
• plentitude
• mountain
• mass
• pot
• heap
• oversupply
• deluge
• plentifulness
• plenteousness
• bushel
• pool
• raft
• peck
• wad
• hoard
• reams
• stockpile
• superabundance
• surfeit
• overabundance
• much
• gobs
• stash
• cache
• oodles
• scads

2

as in shortage

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

there's a notable want of teachers in that rural school district

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shortage
• lack
• deficiency
• deficit
• scarcity
• drought
• poverty
• paucity
• famine
• absence
• crunch
• pinch
• failure
• insufficiency
• inadequacy
• dearth
• scantiness
• need
• lacuna
• inadequateness
• scarceness
• undersupply
• omission
• necessity
• privation
• poorness
• skimpiness
• meagerness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• plenty
• wealth
• abundance
• sufficiency
• amplitude
• adequacy
• opulence
• plenitude
• surplus
• excess
• surfeit
• overabundance
• oversupply
• copiousness
• bountifulness

3

as in need

a state of being without something necessary, desirable, or useful

those children are in want of some good discipline

Synonyms & Similar Words

• need
• lack
• needfulness
• absence
• shortage
• deficit
• deficiency
• requirement
• scarcity
• defect
• paucity
• poverty
• insufficiency
• minus
• inadequacy
• necessity
• essential
• demand
• deprivation
• privation
• requisite
• dearth
• scantiness
• skimpiness
• scarceness
• meagerness
• famishment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• supply
• fund
• sufficiency
• enough
• stock
• adequacy
• plenty
• pool
• fill
• surplus
• excess
• stockpile
• hoard
• surfeit
• overabundance
• oversupply

4

as in poverty

the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions

grew up in extreme want

Synonyms & Similar Words

• poverty
• need
• misery
• necessity
• impoverishment
• poorness
• neediness
• pauperism
• penury
• destitution
• indigence
• beggary
• impecuniousness
• deprivation
• impecuniosity
• destituteness
• penuriousness
• bankruptcy
• emergency
• woe
• exigency
• gutter
• rainy day
• privation
• wretchedness
• insolvency
• pinching
• belt-tightening
• austerity
• straitening

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wealth
• richness
• affluence
• opulence
• luxury
• prosperity
• wealthiness

5

as in failing

a defect in character

she's well-meaning and kind, but her besetting want is a complete lack of tact

Synonyms & Similar Words

• failing
• fault
• weakness
• sin
• shortcoming
• deficiency
• feet of clay
• demerit
• vice
• foible
• sinfulness
• frailty
• evil
• stain
• blot
• imperfection
• spot
• soft spot
• flaw
• minus
• dereliction
• blemish
• nit
• corruption
• immorality
• wickedness
• Achilles' heel
• depravity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• merit
• virtue
• perfection
• excellence
• integrity
• goodness
• morality
• righteousness
• rectitude
• probity

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb want differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of want are covet, crave, desire, and wish. While all these words mean "to have a longing for," want specifically suggests a felt need or lack.

wants to have a family

When is it sensible to use covet instead of want?

While the synonyms covet and want are close in meaning, covet implies strong envious desire.

covets his rise to fame

When is crave a more appropriate choice than want?

In some situations, the words crave and want are roughly equivalent. However, crave stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need.

craves sweets

When might desire be a better fit than want?

Although the words desire and want have much in common, desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim.

desires to start a new life

In what contexts can wish take the place of want?

The words wish and want can be used in similar contexts, but wish sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable.

wishes for permanent world peace

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of want

Verb

Those who want to understand what the future of water looks like in our changing world should look to Kabul. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

The two form an unlikely friendship and try to help each other get what the other wants most, a magazine cover and a boy. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

Noun

As the Senate ages, Fetterman won’t be the last case litigated entirely in that vocabulary, for want of any real capacity to evaluate, accommodate, or retire an official on medical grounds. — Michael P.h. Stanley, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026

From the dark of an empty movie theater, or over clips of favorite movies, Pearson speaks of seeing his own wants or challenges reflected in characters like Buzz Lightyear or Forrest Gump or Elle Woods. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026