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Wanderlust Has German Roots
"For my part," writes Robert Louis Stevenson in Travels with a Donkey, "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 hike or roam about," and Lust means "pleasure or delight."
Examples of wanderlust in a Sentence
Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
So, if crisp clothing is non-negotiable when your wanderlust kicks in, this ironing mat will make an excellent travel companion—apartment dwellers may also want to take note.
—Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2024
But after working for 26 years in the same Texas county, the wanderlust became too difficult to ignore.
—Matt Kirouac, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2024
But Flynn's passion for the banjo, for being around music-minded people, for hiking in Ireland's woods − and crawling out on its precarious cliffs − rekindled the wanderlust in all of us.
—Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024
Wrap Up Whether running errands or walking red carpets, the wanderlust spirit of bohemian style can easily align with celebrity aesthetics.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
Before long, Sasha, in his forlorn wanderlust, has split up with Zakhar and fallen in with a fellow-Bolshevik named Stepan Kopionkin.
—Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Travel has always been my North Star, and the anonymity of these wanderlust moments simply feels like a gentle, warm hug when the world closes in on you.
—Tenille Clarke, Essence, 21 Dec. 2023
Weekends are for indulging his wanderlust, hopping on a train or bus for a coastal or hilly hike in the foothills of the Pyrenees where Coe stays in cozy typical hostales.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wanderlust.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wanderlust
Cite this Entry
“Wanderlust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wanderlust. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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wanderlust
noun
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