ATHIRST Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

athirst

adjective

ə-ˈthərst

Definition of athirst

as in excited

showing urgent desire or interest was athirst for any news at all about family members serving in the war zone

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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

A student who is excited about an experiment is still learning.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Based on a straw poll of curators, collectors, and rival dealers at a spree of events last week, this is the show everyone’s most excited to see in Chelsea this fall.

— Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of excited

Adjective

The decade marked a golden age for music in the Southeast Asian nation, which even counted its king among its avid pop singers.

— H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 15 Sep. 2026
My dad’s 60th birthday was coming up, and as an avid whisky drinker with a particularly sharp nose, his dream trip has always been to explore the coastline of Islay, a Scottish island famed worldwide for its smoky, peated single malt whiskies.

— Hayley Domin, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of avid

Adjective

For many enthusiastic golfers, access to golf courses is a top priority when choosing where to live.

— Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 20 Sep. 2026
Despite recent legal threats from Musk over the documentary’s content, Universal has always been enthusiastic about releasing the film internationally, the sources added.

— Pat Saperstein, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of enthusiastic

Adjective

But Luján says his colleagues are eager to visit him in New Mexico, too, even though Republicans struggled to even field a candidate against him.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
The price woes have divided central bankers eager to contain inflation but reluctant to cool off the economy and weaken the labor market.

— Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of eager

Adjective

The children left behind have not stopped being hungry, but the system that feeds them was built around a school calendar that runs out in June.

— Tim Grailer, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
Flying robots weighing under 100 grams simply cannot carry heavy LiDAR systems or energy-hungry processors.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of hungry

Adjective

There were maybe a few extra news crews reporting on the show as people filed in and out, but if Sheeran hadn’t brought it up, the crowd did not seem like one particularly anxious about any elephant in the room.

— Brendan Menapace, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2026
Dislodging these forces from the machinery of the state has been neither swift nor straightforward, and even those most anxious for change are hard-pressed to offer practical solutions.

— Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of anxious

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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atheists

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athletic

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“Athirst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/athirst. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of athirst

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