hunger

noun

ˈhəŋ-gər How to pronounce hunger (audio)
Definition of hungernext
1
as in appetite
a need or desire for food no degree of hunger would induce me to eat octopus

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thirst
a strong wish for something a lonely girl with a desperate hunger for love

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in enthusiasm
urgent desire or interest reads everything he can find on airplanes with a seemingly insatiable hunger

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hunger Jasper, in Chicago, understands the risk of silencing those hunger cues. — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 My physical study, on the floor, poking at what was there in the open field of the air, led to newfound levels of learning to process, in poems on the page, where my initial feelings of hunger came from. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 Philabundance is the largest hunger relief organization in the region and serves communities across nine counties in the Philadelphia area. — Nate Sylves, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Russia is attacking it to weaponize hunger and hold the world hostage. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hunger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hunger
  1. appetite
  2. thirst
  3. enthusiasm
  4. starvation
  5. craving
  6. stomach
  7. desire
  8. longing
Noun
  • Last year, Kort helped launch an Eat the Invaders event, bringing chefs together to channel people’s appetite for delicious food by cooking with invasive and overabundant species.
    — Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Switches made from wide-bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide could handle far higher voltages than silicon, and the EV industry’s appetite for these materials began driving the cost down just as a hungrier customer arrived.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of appetite
Noun
  • There was no nasty DM needed or a post calling out the fan's thirst.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But neither remedy has removed the need for fossil fuels and no price spike has changed the thirst for oil.
    — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of thirst
Noun
  • Capricorn December 22 – January 19 The people around you may reveal where your enthusiasm belongs next.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Despite Democratic enthusiasm this year, Donnini cautioned that polling numbers do not automatically translate into election victories.
    — Jack Fink, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of enthusiasm
Noun
  • The methods alleged include starvation, electric shock, asphyxiation and beatings.
    — Alice Gainer, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In March 2024, Josep Borrell, a top EU diplomat, accused Israel of creating a famine and using starvation as a weapon of war.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of starvation
Noun
  • Ladybird Taco started with a breakfast craving, a homemade tortilla and a chance encounter that changed everything.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
  • And, later, a midnight snack of lobster rolls, hot dogs, and pizzas certainly quashed any late-night cravings.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of craving
Noun
  • However, as surveillance footage was being reviewed, video from June 2026 showed Cantrell with a larger stomach, police said.
    — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Detectives obtained video footage of Cantrell from a few months prior, and her stomach area appeared larger, the affidavit states.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of stomach
Noun
  • In order to be helpful, Muse constantly builds extensive dossiers of users and their desires, social relationships, and messaging behaviors, TIME’s Harry Booth reported this month.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This offbeat tendency doesn’t preclude a desire to make a big splash, of course.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of desire
Noun
  • Jeon is marvelous in the role, allowing flashes of envy, resentment, and longing to surface beneath Mi-ok’s cheerful, accommodating manner without diminishing her warmth or loyalty.
    — Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Netizens proclaimed their affection for the rattan man, claiming a combination of intrigue, longing, and confusion.
    — Kirbie Johnson, Allure, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of longing

Phrases Containing hunger

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hung back
hunger
hungered (for)
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Cite this Entry

“Hunger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hunger. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hunger

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hunger

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