hunger

¹hun·ger

noun \ˈhəŋ-gər\

Definition of HUNGER

1

a : a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient

b : an uneasy sensation occasioned by the lack of food

c : a weakened condition brought about by prolonged lack of food

2

: a strong desire : craving <a hunger for success>

— from hunger

: very bad or inept <the jokes were from hunger — Mordecai Richler>

Examples of HUNGER

1. She has been a leader in the fight against world hunger.
2. One sandwich wasn't enough to satisfy his hunger.
3. Her students have a genuine hunger for knowledge.

Origin of HUNGER

Middle English, from Old English hungor; akin to Old High German hungar hunger, Lithuanian kanka torture

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to HUNGER

Synonyms

appetite, belly, emptiness, famishment, munchies, stomach

Antonyms

inappetence

Related Words

rapaciousness, rapacity, ravenousness, voraciousness, voracity; malnutrition, starvation, undernourishment; craving, sweet tooth; famine, fast, hunger strike; gluttony, gourmandism, greed, hoggishness

Near Antonyms

fill, fullness, glut, repleteness, repletion, satiation, satiety, satisfaction, surfeit

Rhymes with HUNGER

monger, younger

²hunger

verb

hun·geredhun·ger·ing \-g(ə-)riŋ\

Definition of HUNGER

intransitive verb

1

: to feel or suffer hunger

2

: to have an eager desire

transitive verb

: to make hungry

First Known Use of HUNGER

before 12th century

hun·ger

noun \ˈhəŋ-gər\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of HUNGER

1

: a craving, desire, or urgent need for food

2

: an uneasy sensation occasioned normally by the lack of food and resulting directly from stimulation of the sensory nerves of the stomach by the contraction and churning movement of the empty stomach

3

: a weakened disordered condition brought about by prolonged lack of food <die of hunger>