Essential and Lacking

Essential

Essential adjective - Impossible to do without.

Lacking and essential are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Lacking" instead an adjective "Essential".

Nearby Words: essence, essentially, essentiality

Lacking

Lacking adjective - Not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need.

Essential and lacking are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Essential" instead an adjective "Lacking".

Nearby Words: lack, lacked

Mutual synonyms

Both words in one sentence

  • No Biochemical Barriers The atevi can eat all human foods without problem, though human food is lacking in essential atevi vitamins, so an atevi can't survive on only human food.
  • Film / 7 Zwerge Our Dwarves Are All the Same: These dwarfs are notable for lacking what is probably the most essential trait for defining a dwarf - they are all of normal human size.
  • Video Game / Neotokyo Supports have access to several weapons right off the bat and can use light machine guns, though they are somewhat lacking in long-ranged weapons options.This is a team-based game, so it's essential that all three classes work together.
Cite this Source
Lacking and Essential. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/essential/lacking
Essential & Lacking. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/essential/lacking>.
Lacking or Essential. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/essential/lacking.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "essential" and "lacking" have occurred on timeline