hunger

noun

ˈhəŋ-gər How to pronounce hunger (audio)
Definition of hungernext
1
as in appetite
a need or desire for food no degree of hunger would induce me to eat octopus

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thirst
a strong wish for something a lonely girl with a desperate hunger for love

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in enthusiasm
urgent desire or interest reads everything he can find on airplanes with a seemingly insatiable hunger

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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 hunger On social media, where nothing Jeffries does is credible, there’s a hunger for Democrats to identify a few specific, popular bills that every candidate can run on this fall. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Their nonprofit aims to donate and plant 5,000 fig trees, addressing hunger in a county where David Burke says one in five families lives below the federal poverty level. — Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026 In a post after the charity festival, performer Chappell Roan gushed about the experience and praised organizer Olivia Rodrigo, while also revealing that the event reignited her own hunger for playing shows. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 31 Aug. 2026 The United Nations World Food Program has warned that tens of millions could be pushed into hunger. — Matt Sedensky, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hunger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hunger
  1. appetite
  2. thirst
  3. enthusiasm
  4. starvation
  5. craving
  6. stomach
  7. desire
  8. longing
Noun
  • Long-standing problems and new barriers are combining to make a career in dietetics less appealing and less financially feasible, just as the nation is increasing its appetite for nutrition in health care.
    — Lauren Chan, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Customers from the Middle East and Southeast Asia have also expressed an appetite for the brand.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of appetite
Noun
  • More than just thirst quenchers, functional beverages are engineered to deliver a wellness punch with vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, electrolytes, probiotics and enzymes for gut health and adaptogens for mood support.
    — Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • What the estate has built in the 15 years since his death is a testament to the thirst for life that the artist had while on this earth.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of thirst
Noun
  • The staffers of the Truth Teller start the second season pumped with enthusiasm after their winning night at an Ohio journalism awards ceremony.
    — Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Organizers are hoping to boost GOP enthusiasm, but the confab is getting a lackluster reception from some in the party.
    — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of enthusiasm
Noun
  • That means making sure humanitarian groups can get into conflict zones, protecting agricultural infrastructure from attacks, and prohibiting the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
    — Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Penn State researchers developed a wearable sensor that continuously monitors low rates of perspiration for lactate, a biomarker that can indicate oxygen starvation in tissues.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of starvation
Noun
  • Chips aren’t the only way to satisfy a craving for something crunchy.
    — Jennifer Berger, Verywell Health, 31 Aug. 2026
  • But yeah, just how quickly the cravings to check my phone all the time really receded.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of craving
Noun
  • Trains rumble behind the main stadiums, Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong, while planes approaching and departing from La Guardia Airport bring their stomach-churning roars.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Ink likely wouldn’t cause toxicity, but might cause an upset stomach, according to the National Capital Poison Center.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of stomach
Noun
  • Fall summons the urge to nest, and as temperatures drop, so does the desire to leave the house.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Trout, the face of the franchise, has nonetheless been clear and direct about his desire to remain in Anaheim.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of desire
Noun
  • Over time, his desire to pursue his life’s work became inseparable from a larger longing for personal freedom.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This paradox—a longing for beauty to be distributed equally, even though it cannot be diluted for ease of distribution, and might even require rarity—is why the period continues to fascinate me.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of longing

Phrases Containing hunger

Browse Nearby Words

hung back
hunger
hungered (for)
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Cite this Entry

“Hunger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hunger. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hunger

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hunger

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