as in desire
a strong wish for something
by four o'clock in the afternoon, I usually experience a strong longing for chocolate
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as in pining
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Recent Examples of longing
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Pent-up emotions, regrets, and bestial longings all burst forth in an expansive baritone whose confident quietism distinguishes him from other wispier alt-centric brooders like Daniel Caesar.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
When Julius takes off in search of the young card cheat he’s fallen for, Muriel’s longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2025
The Renaissance’s old love language — the naughty puns, the sighs of longing and strategies of seduction, the paeans to the beauty of beloveds masked by fanciful Greek and Latin names — had grown obsolete long before Millay’s time.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for longing
Noun
Unexpressed longing often fuels outside attraction.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Pent-up emotions, regrets, and bestial longings all burst forth in an expansive baritone whose confident quietism distinguishes him from other wispier alt-centric brooders like Daniel Caesar.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
When Julius takes off in search of the young card cheat he’s fallen for, Muriel’s longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2025
The Renaissance’s old love language — the naughty puns, the sighs of longing and strategies of seduction, the paeans to the beauty of beloveds masked by fanciful Greek and Latin names — had grown obsolete long before Millay’s time.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for longing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for longing
Noun
-
Such rejections can tamp down a child’s natural curiosity and desire for agency, which might cause some developmental issues, such as loss of confidence in one’s natural desire to explore the social environment, Well told me.—
Faran Krentcil,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2025
-
One which has surrendered the desire for tidy endings, resuming my commitment to speak, and resist.—
Sarah Aziza,
People.com,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
To satisfy any of these cravings, Putin will have to reach a peace agreement, preferably supplemented by an economic deal, or series of deals, with Trump.—
ANDREI KOLESNIKOV,
Foreign Affairs,
9 May 2025
-
That drug works by blocking the opioid receptors that trigger cravings.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
His approach, on and off the pitch, has had a transformative effect and as Palace seek to secure him on a new contract, there have been covetous glances cast in his direction from clubs in the German Bundesliga.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
-
For a very long time, other nations have been sizing up California with a covetous eye.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Still, prosecutors have not outlined his potential motive, and a sweeping gag order has kept the parties from speaking publicly, making each pretrial hearing an opportunity to quench the public’s thirst to learn more details.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
15 May 2025
-
One of the main culprits is the extraction of groundwater to quench the thirst of growing populations and commerce.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
8 May 2025
Adjective
-
This intensive research helps weed out goals that are genuinely unrealistic or, while ambitious, are already being solved by the market.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
-
At a 1956 meeting with a research director at the U.S. Weather Bureau (a precursor to the National Weather Service), Keeling made an ambitious pitch: continuously monitoring CO2 using a gas analyzer, a high-tech but as-yet-unproven tool for the job.—
Ashley Braun,
Smithsonian Magazine,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
Whether progress endures will depend on whether state policymakers resist the urge to slack on debt reduction at the first sign of improvement.—
Andrew Fowler,
Hartford Courant,
8 May 2025
-
But that’s only possible for those with the patience and discipline to avoid the natural human urge to cut and run.—
Wes Moss,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
Adjective
-
As alcohol metabolizes, typically over four to five hours, your brain experiences a rebound effect, leading to fragmented, restless sleep in the latter half of the night.—
Dr. Samanta Dall’Agnese,
CNBC,
13 May 2025
-
My protagonist drinks to dull the sharp edges of motherhood, to quiet the restless ache of unmet expectations, and to grasp at the fleeting illusion of control in a life that often feels anything but.—
Jessica Guerrieri,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
At the same time, molecules act on brain regions involved in appetite control, slowing stomach emptying and reducing hunger throughout the day.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Health,
20 May 2025
-
Even the United States, a staunch ally of Israel, has voiced concerns over the growing hunger crisis.—
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Longing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/longing. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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