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
  • In the comment section, fans were excited to see an intimate piece of her life.
    Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 1 July 2025
  • According to recent research from the global consumer research platform, GWI, 60% of consumers are excited for the further development of AI tools.
    Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • Trump has been an avid proponent of reshoring U.S. manufacturing, using tariffs as a leverage to convince companies to build plants in the U.S. and attacking Apple for manufacturing its iPhones in Asia.
    Danny Bakst, Fortune, 26 June 2025
  • Residents who live near a fishing location, spend a lot of time near the water or are avid boaters are encouraged to get involved.
    Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • The 33-year-old state assemblyman has ensnared a wide net of seasoned billionaires and enthusiastic young activists, presented as a regular New Yorker who lived in Africa as a child.
    Alexandra Bregman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Diamond and her husband were enthusiastic volunteers since the 1990s for a local historic preservation organization, Historic Boulder, Inc.
    Colleen Slevin, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Comprised mostly of phishing, but also malware, threats, the domains in question have been created by cybercriminals seeking to benefit from the high media profile of Prime Day and the anticipated flood of consumers eager to grab a bargain.
    Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • Undeterred, Gustav offers the role, written for Nora, to the young Hollywood star Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning), dropping the eager American actress right in the middle of the complicated Borg family dynamics.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza.
    WAFAA SHURAFA, Arkansas Online, 29 June 2025
  • That's because tomatoes are notoriously hungry for nutrients, and broccoli will compete for the same selection of nutrients in the soil.
    Steve Bender, Southern Living, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • But perhaps the most persuasive testimony came from Mrs. Hall herself, who embodied the defense’s portrait of a loyal, unsuspecting wife, home alone and anxious over her husband’s mysterious disappearance.
    Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 27 June 2025
  • The king, perhaps, was anxious to maintain his control over the nuts as a diplomatic resource—a means of impressing important dignitaries.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • The crisp, sparkling wines come ice cold, and can be sipped either in the privacy of your daybed or cabana, or at the Legacy Pool’s intimate 10-seat bar—so, in other words, come thirsty!
    Alex Schechter, Travel + Leisure, 27 June 2025
  • Pitt hilariously asked at one point F1 is in theaters now Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem just got a dose of how thirsty some fans are for them!
    Jen Juneau, People.com, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • Mamdani emerges from the Democratic primary far stronger than even his most ardent supporters had hoped, winning virtually all economic groups in the Democratic Party except the very poor and the very rich, both of whom supported Andrew Cuomo.
    Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 25 June 2025
  • Inter Miami defeated Porto 2-1 and gave this controversial tournament something even its most ardent detractors could celebrate.
    Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 20 June 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 7 Jul. 2025.

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