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
  • Kids might be excited about the end of the school year and for summer to begin, but many working parents who don’t know how to fill their kids’ long summer days may be feeling some dread right about now.
    Medora Lee, USA Today, 8 June 2025
  • That had Vidovic excited about placing this team at the top of the state’s history list.
    Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
Adjective
  • This pretty appetizer is the brain child of my friend and our Senior Food Editor Josh Miller, who is a fellow avid pool host who hates turning the oven on in the summer.
    Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 13 June 2025
  • Kapur was an avid polo player and often played with members of the British royal family, including Prince William.
    Meredith Kile, People.com, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • Lively Feud: Lively Shares ‘Gratitude’ On Instagram After Baldoni’s Lawsuit Is Dismissed Globally, employees are eager to learn.
    Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • The Dallas phone company had taken a blood-bath in its four-year foray into entertainment and was eager to exit.
    Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • Aside from honoring the tenured in the game, the culture remains enthusiastic about who is next.
    Ime Ekpo, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
  • Trump is used to an enthusiastic crowd, but this was different: These men and women went against their union to support this deal.
    Salena Zito, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Notably, the current roster has more from the top North American league, MLS, and fewer from European clubs, perhaps to get an infusion from hungrier players who have been playing regularly for their teams.
    Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 5 June 2025
  • This coordinated reaction suggests the hungry nematodes may be joining together to easily hitch a ride on larger animals such as insects that transport them to (not so) greener pastures with more rotten fruit to feast on, Perez said.
    Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • On Tires, Gerben plays Will, the anxious and unqualified son of the auto-repair chain's owner.
    EW.com, EW.com, 5 June 2025
  • As a result, children can become frustrated and anxious when trying to learn math.
    Jennifer Pierce, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • If your baby seems thirsty, offering them breast milk or formula more often is best.
    Brandi Jones, Verywell Health, 4 June 2025
  • Some possible contenders have been thirstier than others.
    Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • In the days after her speech, the young graduate has received nationwide media attention, along with a torrent of ardent support and biting criticism.
    Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 1 June 2025
  • Devoted Knicks fans Spike Lee and Ben Stiller sat beside the couple: Lee, of course one of the most ardent and drippiest of the legion of celebrity fans, wore an orange and blue striped blazer and pant set, with a matching bower hat.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 30 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 17 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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