lacuna

noun

lə-ˈkü-nə How to pronounce lacuna (audio)
Definition of lacunanext
1
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number attributes many of the nation's problems to a lacuna of leadership at the top

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gap
an incomplete or deficient area a lacuna in its collection of Impressionists that the museum is trying to fill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 lacuna Among the problems that arise from this lacuna of information is that even the administration was unable to examine the plaintiffs’ purported issues with the program. — Ryann Liebenthal, The New Republic, 9 May 2023 There, many of Cale’s pet fascinations, like the precariousness of memory and the lacuna between yourself and other people, opened themselves up with a lovely quietness. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026 At the heart of every biography, though, lies a lacuna—something unknowable, no matter how candid or heavily documented the subject, no matter how familiar or diligent the biographer. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025 The experience attempts to recall lacunas or lost memories, yet in trying to remember, temporalities and subjectivities become muddled and new thoughts, ideas, and images form in the viewer’s mind. — Mariana Fernández, ARTnews.com, 18 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for lacuna
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacuna
  1. shortage
  2. gap
  3. lack
  4. void
  5. deficiency
  6. hole
Noun
  • The divergence is over whether the worker shortage is improving slowly or still getting worse, and what the Supreme Court should do about it.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Lights had been switched off to conserve electricity amid fuel shortages that have gripped Cuba since the beginning of the year.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of shortage
Noun
  • Actress Mariska Hargitay, who joined Swift courtside at Madison Square Garden during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, appears to have one notable gap in her Broadway schedule.
    — Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • By the end of the match, the vast gap in the teams’ rankings had been reduced to only one goal.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 4 July 2026
Definition of gap
Noun
  • Keli Gonzalez, a painter the museum commissioned, became frustrated by the lack of female representation.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • The lack of a World Cup title is the one gap on his historic résumé.
    — Ashley Mowreader, NBC news, 3 July 2026
Definition of lack
Noun
  • After two devastating quakes, first responders were fishermen, doctors and emigres returning from abroad — a grassroots campaign filling a government void.
    — Helena Carpio, Washington Post, 30 June 2026
  • It was meant to fill a void in a fragmented and historically slow infrastructure.
    — Christian Catalini, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of void
Noun
  • The Lakers spent the first days of free agency addressing their shooting deficiencies.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Interveinal chlorosis and yellowing in new leaves can indicate an iron deficiency.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 July 2026
Definition of deficiency
Noun
  • Mozeliak said the Angels should not consider a trade proposal in isolation, without considering how to flex their major-market muscles to fill whatever hole a trade might create.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • The difference between these two measurements gives the exciton binding energy, a key quantity that determines how strongly the electron and hole remain bound together.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026
Definition of hole

Browse Nearby Words

lacquers
lacuna
lacunae
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Cite this Entry

“Lacuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacuna. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lacuna

Nglish: Translation of lacuna for Spanish Speakers

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