wanted

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of want.

   He wanted nothing more than a quiet evening at home.

   We had wanted to leave before the storm hit, but the roads closed first.

   Note

   Want is a regular verb, so the past tense and the participle share one spelling: she wanted, she has wanted. The form carries every sense of the verb, including the colloquial "lack, need" (the fence wanted a coat of paint). When it describes a noun and takes more or most, it has crossed over into the adjective.

2. 2
   adjective

   Wished for, desired, or actively sought after.

   The prize is among the most wanted honors in the entire industry.

   A child who feels wanted tends to grow up more secure.

   Similardesired, coveted, sought-after, welcome, prized

   Oppositeunwelcome, undesired

   Note

   The verb's participle has settled into a true adjective here, and it proves it by grading: more wanted, most wanted, as in the most wanted speaker at a conference. It also has a fixed job at the head of a notice. Wanted: followed by a bare noun (Wanted: babysitter) announces that someone or something is being sought, with no verb or article required.

3. 3
   adjective

   Sought by law enforcement for immediate arrest on sight.

   The suspect has been wanted by federal agents since the bank heist.

   Detectives circulated a detailed description of the wanted fugitive.

   Note

   Police language turns an ordinary word for desire into a legal status. It sits naturally before a noun (a wanted criminal) and names the pursuer with by (wanted by federal agents). It grades like the everyday "desired" sense, so most wanted becomes a ranking of fugitives, as in America's most wanted. Only context tells the two meanings apart, since their form is identical.

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