wanted 1 of 2

adjective

as in liked

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wanted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of want
1
as in craved
to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy I want a new car so badly!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in needed
to have as a requirement that stray cat wants food and a clean place to sleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in wished
to see fit do what you want

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in enjoyed
to wish to have I want some ice cream for dessert, please

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wanted
Adjective
In The Beekeeper 2, Clay is a wanted man pulled back into the fight when the Beekeeper organization goes rogue and sets its sights on controlling the government. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026 After cops released a wanted poster Wednesday calling Carrasco armed and dangerous and asked the public’s help locating him, an acquaintance turned up at the 49th Precinct stationhouse, police sources said. — Theodore Parisienne, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026 Families can deeply love a wanted child and still make different decisions about how to proceed. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026 The district attorney's office said 63-year-old Gino Ferrari's pit bull attacked K-9 Diesel while Jeannette police were helping the FBI with a search warrant on a wanted person on Adams Avenue in July. — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Heading into the past three summer transfer windows, Trafford topped Newcastle’s goalkeeper wanted list. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 The cameras photograph every passing vehicle, allowing law enforcement to track a wanted vehicle across the city. — Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Aug. 2026 Owning a stake in a profitable, growing business that provides a wanted product or service over the long term is preferable to owning paper currency, which is destined to lose purchasing power over time. — Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, in Rhode Island, Providence Journal reporters took readers inside a 20-year-hunt for one of the state’s most wanted fugitives – finally arrested at sea. — Greg Borowski, jsonline.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
The board didn’t want a remote CEO Unlike the billionaires who left, Zuckerberg runs a company whose board wanted him in the building. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Tina said Tony helped bring a publisher to the Philippines, opening doors for artists who wanted to work with major comic book companies. — Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 But for whatever reason, Hegseth’s staff wanted to bypass protocol, and the people moving the 30-inch globe dropped and broke it. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Multiple passengers wanted the suite for the Splendor’s 151-night global cruise that embarks in January, Regent told CNBC, and it is almost always occupied. — Contessa Brewer,ryan Ruggiero, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026 For the third edition, Bobosky wanted to include Positively Naperville and its publisher Stephanie Penick, who started the paper in 2001. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 Why Placer County bypassed the usual bidding process Randall said the county chose an informal process to hire the contractor because officials wanted to begin work quickly. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Soon, other friends heard about the practice and wanted to start their own reading gatherings. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 22 Oct. 2026 Russia may have wanted to assess the satellite's capabilities or interfere with it in some way. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanted
  1. preferred
  2. craved
  3. needed
  4. wished
  5. liked
  6. desirable
  7. desired
  8. required
Adjective
  • Wall Street will also get several big economic updates next week, including the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation.
    — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Each goalie has their own preferred tricks to get their mind right when needed.
    — Jesse Granger, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of preferred
Verb
  • While my mother craved some small-stakes adventure, my father was set in his ways, his patterns, his routine.
    — Kyle MacLachlan, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
  • But even when George was kissing off the pop audience, people craved more and more of him.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of craved
Verb
  • Baryomunsi said Nigerian authorities had not provided all the information Uganda needed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • And polls ahead of Tuesday’s Israeli elections show that his party may not win the seats needed to form a government.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of needed
Verb
  • The artist Rashid Johnson, who’d also made works for the restaurant, showed up and wished Humm a happy (belated) birthday.
    — Emma Allen, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The Kremlin said Putin wished Leo good health and a quick recovery.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of wished
Verb
  • On the other side is Gadi Eisenkot, a centrist former military chief who is temperate and broadly liked but lacks the political instincts to become a clear favorite.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Restless and frustrated fans, many of whom never liked the hiring of football coach Sonny Dykes to replace Gary Patterson in the first place, would prefer the school start the process of looking for a new head coach five minutes ago.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of liked
Adjective
  • The rise of affordable alternatives flips part of that playbook by celebrating the hunt itself, aka the ability to track down desirable products for less.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Others cite potential sharp shifts in drug use behaviors, such as people stopping opioid use because the supply became less desirable through lacing with sedatives such as xylazine and medetomidine.
    — J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of desirable
Verb
  • Step 3 Unwrap turkey and remove giblets and any other parts (such as neck) that may be inside cavity; save for gravy if desired.
    — Alton Brown, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Consumers who desired perfect products used more filters and set higher cutoffs, narrowing their search to hotels that came closer to meeting their standards.
    — Aprajita Gautam, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of desired
Verb
  • Jullien Harneis, the UN’s senior Ebola coordinator, said the outbreak’s expanding reach required more teams, coordination and logistical support.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The United States and China are the two economies that have invested at the scale required.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of required

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Cite this Entry

“Wanted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanted. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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