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Wanderlust Has German Roots
"For my part," writes Robert Louis Stevenson in Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes, "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move..." Sounds like a case of wanderlust if we ever heard one. Those with wanderlust don't necessarily need to go anywhere in particular; they just don't care to stay in one spot. The etymology of wanderlust is a very simple one that you can probably figure out yourself. Wanderlust is a lust for wandering. The word comes from German, in which wandern means "to wander, hike, or stray" and Lust means "pleasure" or "desire."
Examples of wanderlust in a Sentence
Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 1 May 2025
But this isn’t just a case of open-ended wanderlust.
—Katia Damborsky, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2025
As good as the Highlands Course is – in particular, that bucket-list 18th hole that’s inspired some serious golf wanderlust on social media – Rymer says there’s no question which is his favorite course.
—Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Experiencing wanderlust but don’t know where exactly to go?
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wanderlust
Cite this Entry
“Wanderlust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wanderlust. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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wanderlust
noun
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