STARVATION Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

starvation

noun

Definition of starvation

as in hunger

suffering or death caused by having nothing to eat or not enough to eat; the condition of someone who is starving The famine brought mass starvation. Millions of people face starvation every day. They died from starvation.

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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 starvation After three months of mandatory surgeries, dental work, starvation, and squats, the contestants see their reflections for the first time during a dramatic onscreen reveal. — Jolene Edgar, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026 An autopsy found that Jacqueline died of fatal child abuse with starvation. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026 Books and stationary, burned for fuel in times of starvation and now subject to Israeli import restrictions, remain in desperately short supply. — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026 For the dinosaurs that survived the initial blast, the world became an unforgiving wilderness of starvation and severe climate shifts. — Kevin Brown, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for starvation

Recent Examples of Synonyms for starvation

Noun

Hardware demand Despite these concerns, the sector's hunger for chips doesn't seem to be letting up, as seen in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's record quarter.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Jasper, in Chicago, understands the risk of silencing those hunger cues.

— Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of hunger

Noun

Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian forces during the 2020-22 war, which caused about 500,000 civilian deaths through violence, famine and collapsed health services, according to researchers at Ghent University in Belgium.

— Khaled Kazziha, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian forces during the 2020-2022 war, which caused about 500,000 civilian deaths through violence, famine and collapsed health services, according to researchers at Ghent University in Belgium.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of famine

Noun

But the rest of the world is not just where the needs are greatest—from acute childhood malnutrition to violence against women—but where the gains from philanthropy can be greatest.

— David Miliband, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of malnutrition

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star turns

starvation

starved

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

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Synonyms of starvation

noun

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