as in craving
a strong wish for something
I've had a hankering for pizza with anchovies all afternoon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in longing
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Recent Examples of hankering
Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2026
If your hankering is for Chinese, then pop into bustling Taipei Express for a cheap and cheerful Sa Cha Chicken lunch combo.
—Charlotte Observer, 16 Mar. 2026
This piece combines a supporting character palette with a leading lady frame to make something perfect for those who have a hankering to whitewash but know better.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s the bit missing these days, and that’s why there’s a hankering for what some people call the West Ham Way.
—Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
And for the kids who get a hankering to try the sport/lifestyle, consider a learn-to camp.
—Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
And if fig is the focus but a cake isn’t calling your name, try one of these fresh and flavorful fig recipes to satisfy any sudden hankering.
—Joey Skladany, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2025
For those with a hankering for farm-to-table cuisine, Handle’s menu of fresh, simple dishes will satiate the craving.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2025
For them, socialism has meant only a hankering for state tyranny and brazen assaults on property rights that, together, threaten the beliefs every patriotic citizen holds dear.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
Though the bolt had an apparent hankering for coconuts and avoided a direct hit through my scalp, the current traveled through the earth, zapped my feet, and sent me jumping into the air and, ultimately, to the emergency room.
—Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2026
If your hankering is for Chinese, then pop into bustling Taipei Express for a cheap and cheerful Sa Cha Chicken lunch combo.
—Charlotte Observer, 16 Mar. 2026
This piece combines a supporting character palette with a leading lady frame to make something perfect for those who have a hankering to whitewash but know better.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s the bit missing these days, and that’s why there’s a hankering for what some people call the West Ham Way.
—Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
And for the kids who get a hankering to try the sport/lifestyle, consider a learn-to camp.
—Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
And if fig is the focus but a cake isn’t calling your name, try one of these fresh and flavorful fig recipes to satisfy any sudden hankering.
—Joey Skladany, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2025
For those with a hankering for farm-to-table cuisine, Handle’s menu of fresh, simple dishes will satiate the craving.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2025
For them, socialism has meant only a hankering for state tyranny and brazen assaults on property rights that, together, threaten the beliefs every patriotic citizen holds dear.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hankering
Noun
-
Misha’s Cupcakes After 20 years of satisfying sweet cravings, the iconic Coral Gables cupcake shop founded by Miami native Misha Kuryla closed its Dixie Highway location.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2026
-
This finding specifically held true for people with fearful and preoccupied attachment styles, two subtypes of insecure attachment associated with a craving for intimacy but, respectively, a deep fear of it or a fear of rejection and abandonment.—
Rachel Nuwer,
Scientific American,
20 June 2026
Adjective
-
Werther, in his self-delusion, embodies another Goethean type, the longing man—ordinary, but convinced of the extraordinariness of his feelings.—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
If sharing is so great at bringing people together why, when accosted with an unceasing soliloquy of self-disclosure, do so many feel the urge to flee?—
Jessica DuLong,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
-
Resist the urge to rush the straining steps.—
Georgina Hayden,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
But companies that were once cash cows are depleting reserves and leveraging debt in their ambitious data center buildouts.—
Kate Rooney,
CNBC,
20 June 2026
-
The instinctive Moon visits your 2nd House of Resources, quincunxing ambitious Saturn in your 9th House of Travel, so spending choices and big plans may contradict.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Daphne Koller, Coursera co-founder, reflected on her early programming days with BASIC, driven by the intellectual beauty of mathematical models and a desire for real-world impact.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
These thin sheets of lead containing scratches of supernatural desires were used to sway a court case, target a rival, or even a lover, as per Archaeology News.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
20 June 2026
Adjective
-
Starring Elordi and Barry Keoghan, Fennell’s dark comedy about class resentment and covetous destruction was sold on the promise of erotic excess.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
9 Feb. 2026
-
For most players, that amount of storage is realistically enough for all but the most covetous data hoarders.—
Matt Kamen,
Wired News,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Back in town, quench your thirst at the upstairs atrium of Three Bears Brewery & Restaurant, then take the Banff Gondola 7,000 feet up Sulphur Mountain, with views of six mountain ranges and the Bow Valley far below.—
Rebecca Deurlein,
Travel + Leisure,
17 June 2026
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Early physical symptoms of heat illness may be mistaken for fatigue, thirst or exhaustion, according to Joslin.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Dahlias are flowers people become obsessed with.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 June 2026
-
On Friday night, an obsessed fan shot and killed pop singer Christina Grimmie in Orlando’s landmark Plaza theater.—
Scott Maxwell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hankering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hankering. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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