1
as in hungry
feeling a desire or need for food
after a full day of skiing, I was feeling absolutely famished
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
a group of local citizens working to ease the plight of the famished families in their community
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Recent Examples of famished
The restaurant at Tranquility Base was closed, however, so the by-then famished band found a late-night diner down the road.
—
Gary Graff, Billboard, 15 Aug. 2024
None of this perturbed Schwarzenegger, who was a famously quick study, almost lupine in his famished eagerness to learn, trading weight-lifting tips with his distinguished co-star James Earl Jones in return for actorly advice.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The famished road warriors drove down the cold mountain highway and across the bridge into the town.
—J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, 8 July 2024
On the outskirts of Wollongong, waking at dawn from its 20-hour nap, a famished, branch-hugging koala stretched its claw skyward for a fat, juicy green eucalyptus leaf.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for famished
Gary Graff, Billboard, 15 Aug. 2024
None of this perturbed Schwarzenegger, who was a famously quick study, almost lupine in his famished eagerness to learn, trading weight-lifting tips with his distinguished co-star James Earl Jones in return for actorly advice.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The famished road warriors drove down the cold mountain highway and across the bridge into the town.
—J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, 8 July 2024
On the outskirts of Wollongong, waking at dawn from its 20-hour nap, a famished, branch-hugging koala stretched its claw skyward for a fat, juicy green eucalyptus leaf.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for famished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famished
Adjective
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The freezing rain then traps lichen under a thick layer of ice where hungry reindeer can’t reach the food, according to Anna Skarin, a reindeer husbandry expert and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences professor.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
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These facilities, dense with high-performance servers and cooling systems, are among the most power-hungry assets in the country.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Shooting scenes in wide or medium shots that sometimes break into Hsiao-Lee’s harrowing point-of-view, cinematographer Yu Jing-Pin depicts a world without much color or hope, while sets by Huang Mei-Ching and Tu Shuo-Feng emphasize a sad and impoverished existence.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
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Each serves a high rate of students from impoverished households, and families within the schools' boundaries can choose to attend those schools or receive a bus to a second school option based on their address.—
Krista Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But prorating three years of player profits down to 12 months, as UEFA’s rule does, reduces the immediate efficacy of successful trading in the market, the very strategy that poorer clubs increasingly rely on to climb the ladder.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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Like most extended car warranty providers, CarShield excludes pre-existing conditions that existed before your warranty took effect, as well as damage resulting from poor maintenance, neglect or intentional abuse.—
Brian Sloan,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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If it’s not broke, don’t fix it As one social media user said, bullying works.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
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She had been laid off from her job at Whole Foods in July 2005 and was practically broke when Katrina hit.—
Curtis Bunn,
NBC news,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Famished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famished. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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