Synonym Chooser

How is the word athirst distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of athirst are anxious, avid, eager, and keen. While all these words mean "moved by a strong and urgent desire or interest," athirst stresses yearning but not necessarily readiness for action.

athirst for adventure

When might anxious be a better fit than athirst?

The synonyms anxious and athirst are sometimes interchangeable, but anxious emphasizes fear of frustration or failure or disappointment.

anxious not to make a social blunder

How do avid and eager relate to one another, in the sense of athirst?

Avid adds to eager the implication of insatiability or greed.

avid for new thrills

In what contexts can eager take the place of athirst?

The meanings of eager and athirst largely overlap; however, eager implies ardor and enthusiasm and sometimes impatience at delay or restraint.

eager to get started

When would keen be a good substitute for athirst?

In some situations, the words keen and athirst are roughly equivalent. However, keen suggests intensity of interest and quick responsiveness in action.

keen on the latest fashions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for athirst
Adjective
  • While fans are excited for their own team's schedule, every NFL game, especially prime-time ones, is a must-see.
    Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
  • The nerves turned into excited butterflies as my wave kicked off.
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • Plus, parents’ avid use of social media means that word spreads quickly, giving the approach a leg up compared with targeting a single demographic that isn’t as enthusiastic online.
    Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 21 May 2025
  • Shah, an avid wine collector, wanted to open his own wine bar.
    Andy Wang, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • Like Sánchez, many Chicago-area Catholics are making the nearly 4,000-mile pilgrimage to the Vatican to witness the inauguration Mass and other papal events this month, eager to celebrate one of their own rising to become Catholicism’s spiritual leader.
    Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025
  • Sometimes the person accepting the soft promotion is eager to move up the ladder.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • In 2019, Joker received an enthusiastic eight-minute reception in Venice.
    Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 13 May 2025
  • The show gets really enthusiastic and vocal reactions from the crowds — mid-act standing ovations and cheers.
    Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • Though she’s excelled on the NCAA stage – helping LSU to its 2024 title and earning multiple SEC titles, McClain is hungry for more.
    Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
  • But after the county launched an aggressive public campaign to educate residents about securing garbage containers that attract hungry bears with no access to a natural food supply, incident reports plummeted.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • In the novel’s historical re-creation, is there an anxious note to Americans now losing themselves in accommodation?
    David Denby, New Yorker, 23 May 2025
  • Both men were deeply anxious, in damage control mode.
    Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • The all-stock deal represents a staggering sum, particularly at a time when venture firms have been thirsty for exits due to a yearslong dearth of IPOs and big acquisitions.
    Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 22 May 2025
  • With two percent salicylic acid, the formula has niacinamide and glycerin to quench thirsty skin.
    Jenny Berg, Allure, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • Among Mao’s most ardent admirers, there’s a sense of pride that the US president appears to be borrowing from the revolutionary playbook of their esteemed supreme leader.
    Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
  • Prime Minister Modi in India has been a very ardent Hindu nationalist.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 10 May 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Athirst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/athirst. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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