as in desire
a strong wish for something
by four o'clock in the afternoon, I usually experience a strong longing for chocolate
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pining
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of longing
Jalil Johnson, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Over pinwheeling synths, Mahesh inhabits her narrator’s misplaced longing with gooey, heart-eyed delusion and sweetly pathetic determination.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 2026
Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for longing
Noun
This longing for a more tangible experience reflects the broader nostalgia that has shaped Gen Z’s coming of age—nostalgia for a past that many did not experience firsthand, but instead encountered through images.
—Jalil Johnson, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Over pinwheeling synths, Mahesh inhabits her narrator’s misplaced longing with gooey, heart-eyed delusion and sweetly pathetic determination.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 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
See All Example Sentences for longing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for longing
Noun
-
Our desire to see each other can remain the same but the means of doing so have to be flexible.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2026
-
Public interest in this crowdfunding effort shows a collective desire to disrupt the airline industry.—
Dalila Muata,
NBC news,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
In other words, this high drama of winners and losers follows a very, very old human narrative tradition rooted in our craving for catharsis.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
The white-meat nuggets are delicious on their own and satisfy that fast-food craving—especially when they’re prepped in the air fryer and dipped in our favorite sauces.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
9 May 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
-
But there doesn’t seem to be a limit to younger film and TV connoisseurs’ thirst for his irreverent and unapologetically gay comedic stylings.—
Elaina Patton,
IndieWire,
12 May 2026
-
He's even appeared in thirst-traps alongside a shirtless Powell.—
Alexandra Schonfeld,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
This sort of attention to dessert is otherwise increasingly rare; too many ambitious kitchens pour all their resources into their savory menus and then punt on the sweet courses, serving a scoop of gelato in a fancy coupe, or a slice of cake assembled off-site.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
-
To this day, Galaxy and its sequel are the series’ most conceptually ambitious entries.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
At one, he’d been overcome by the powerful urge to roam.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
-
Huang described a future of plentiful and high-paying jobs in the trades, and a growing share of young workers—whether due to disillusionment with four-year degrees or out of an urge to AI-proof their careers—are beginning to see these roles as a real possibility.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
But Tom Peter, the mastermind behind the Lismore, Australia five-piece, is restless enough to have churned out three full-length records in just over a year, generally adopting the stance that demos and final takes are one in the same.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
-
Satisfaction and silverware lie that way, but the natives at Villa Park are extremely restless, and Spurs’ 2-1 win there last night could have a huge bearing on the Premier League’s relegation battle.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
For example, dopamine is crucial to link motivation about hunger to obtaining food.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
-
In an effort to raise money to fight hunger and homelessness, Hands Across America attempted to link people hand-in-hand from coast to coast, each participant being encouraged to make a donation.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Longing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/longing. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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