Acceptable
Acceptable adjective - Of a level of quality that meets one's needs or standards.
Usage example: told the bike rental man that a ten-speed with four broken gears was not acceptable
Lacking is an antonym for acceptable.
Lacking
Lacking adjective - Not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need.
Acceptable is an antonym for lacking.
Both words in one sentence
- A veritable saint, like the rest of her family, but lacking the common sense to understand that some lies are acceptable when you are hiding people from the Nazis.
Source: Will Not Tell a Lie -
Because the vampires were all Born in the Wrong Century and are unable to make themselves look socially acceptable due to lacking a reflection, they can't actually get into a real nightclub and have no idea what they're actually like.
Source: Vampires Own Night Clubs
Cite this Source
Lacking and Acceptable. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/acceptable/lacking
Acceptable & Lacking. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/acceptable/lacking>.
Lacking or Acceptable. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/acceptable/lacking.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "acceptable" and "lacking" have occurred on timeline