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
  • Jennifer Affleck, one of the stars from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, entered rehearsals excited to be paired with Jan Ravnik and to tap into her Latin roots.
    Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
  • When people are excited, there’s bound to be energy and urgency.
    Dahvi Shira, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In high school, Kirk became an avid listener of conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, per NBC News.
    Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
  • These restaurants and dives, located in live music and entertainment across the Front Range, were recommended by friends and readers of The Denver Post, as well as avid concertgoers.
    Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The opposition leader maintains close ties with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, one of the most enthusiastic proponents in the Cabinet of this particular naval buildup.
    Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
  • In the same piece from Heyman, Phillies president of baseball operations David Dombrowski gave an even more enthusiastic quote about a potential Schwarber reunion.
    Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • These water signs are adaptable and eager team players, so help siblings dress up as a school of fish or as a peppy cheer squad that will bring everyone’s feelings up.
    Ella Cerón, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
  • As always, Fonda was eager to gush about Redford’s looks, charm and shared interests.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Its free lunch program for the homeless and hungry draws more than 200 people in a week, and a free drop-in mental health clinic operates from offices on-site.
    Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • But until now, such light sources required large, power-hungry tabletop systems.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Research in attachment theory tells us that people with anxious attachment tendencies often monitor signs of availability and care in their partners.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • While all of his children enjoy supporting him at his fights, María is the one who gets the most anxious, according to Canelo.
    Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • More viscous than your average face mist, the milky formula is laced with ceramides and lipids to relieve tight, thirsty skin and refresh dull, dry-looking makeup without so much as a flush or a tingle.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Thus, when two disheveled men barged into one camp on Sunday, the burners who encountered the thirsty strangers were understandably uneasy.
    Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • These are not fantasies drummed up by the Left despite claims from Paxton and his most ardent supporters.
    Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • His new album continues to showcase Worthington’s growing star power as an ardent devotee of country music’s timeless sounds.
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 12 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 2025.

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