hunger 1 of 2

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hunger (for)

2 of 2

verb

as in to crave
to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy voters hungering for honest and upright leadership

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 hunger
Noun
Meanwhile, the World Food Program warns that crop failures and smaller harvests could push 50 million people into acute hunger. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026 Russia is attacking it to weaponize hunger and hold the world hostage. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 Larsson’s hunger for pop success has sustained her through all of that time, but so has her commitment to being herself no matter what. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026 As Taiwan races toward the new millennium, its hunger for progress propels the boy forward, Yen says, while the uncle never gets that option. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 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
  • Whether travelers come back to the region depends on risk appetite.
    — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Elsewhere, fashion’s appetite for animal prints took a decidedly reptilian turn.
    — Camila Quimper, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of appetite
Noun
  • There was no nasty DM needed or a post calling out the fan's thirst.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But neither remedy has removed the need for fossil fuels and no price spike has changed the thirst for oil.
    — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of thirst
Noun
  • Zelensky does not appear to be in a rush to hold elections and the public has shown little enthusiasm for heading to the polls as bombs fly overhead.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The strongman is failing, even as the opposition struggles to inspire a great deal of conviction and enthusiasm.
    — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of enthusiasm
Noun
  • In March 2024, Josep Borrell, a top EU diplomat, accused Israel of creating a famine and using starvation as a weapon of war.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Since Yemen descended into war in 2015, the United Nations estimates that some 377,000 people have died, more than half due to indirect causes such as starvation and disease amid the fighting.
    — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of starvation
Noun
  • The books below will satisfy your bog witch cravings, while also reminding you of the real-world importance of bogs as bulwarks against climate change, cradles of biodiversity, and keepers of ancestral memory.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Another is Gimme Gummy, a craving for squishy, jelly-like textures in everything from candy to phone cases.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of craving
Noun
  • Meanwhile, the way Artificial played like a horror movie felt incredibly true to this moment, where so many of us are just starting to feel sick to our stomach about it.
    — Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
  • There is no vaccine for the illness, which can cause stomach cramps and diarrhea.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of stomach
Noun
  • Trump has expressed his desire to acquire Greenland since 2019 and, during his second term, issued threats to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally.
    — Stefanie Dazio, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Gray Wielebinski’s new site-specific Production (2026) will transform the fair’s public toilets into an intimate olfactory environment, where scent, bodily function, privacy, desire, and surveillance will converge.
    — Jade Wilson, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of desire
Noun
  • He’s also fully equipped with human foibles, including a longing for celebrity.
    — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • As private longing collides with honor and social codes, each character has to reckon with what their choices cost.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of longing

Phrases Containing hunger

Browse Nearby Words

hung back
hunger
hungered (for)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hunger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hunger. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hunger

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hunger

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All