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
Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 2026
As Carolyn, Emma Ramos is particularly expressive, drawing quietly on deep reserves of pain and longing.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for longing
Noun
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
As Carolyn, Emma Ramos is particularly expressive, drawing quietly on deep reserves of pain and longing.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 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
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In mid-April, Meghan Trainor also called off her entire arena tour, citing a desire to spend time with her young children.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
2 May 2026
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Renewable energy The global oil crisis has only deepened the desire by many countries to transition to clean energy, which could be a boon for the sector.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Aiming for 30 grams of protein at breakfast can reduce cravings, promote fullness, stabilize blood sugar, and help maintain muscle mass.—
Mira Miller,
Verywell Health,
1 May 2026
-
Kravitz is the opposite, as her Venus conjunct Pluto in Scorpio is deeply evocative; there is a deep craving for intimacy, soul-to-soul connection and closeness rooted in loyalty and reciprocity.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
-
Beyond simply preventing blackouts, this facility is specifically designed to quench the massive power thirst of local AI data centers.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 May 2026
-
Excess sugar overwhelms the kidneys, which flush it — along with hydrating fluids — out through urine, leaving people dehydrated and trapped in a cycle of thirst.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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In the wake of the Para Site retrospective came a wave of new opportunities and invitations to work at an increasingly ambitious scale, including a commission for the M+ Facade, a 360-foot-wide harbor-facing LED screen on the side of the Hong Kong museum.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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Fiscal ambitions have since become more ambitious.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
Noun
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For starters, a handful of clubs with needs at the most important position on the field — that’d be quarterback — resisted the urge to reach in a down year for the position, with most waiting until the later rounds to take a flier on a likely backup.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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If a user who is interacting with that AI-bot starts to express any words or feelings that even remotely reflect an urge to harm themselves or others, the bot should alert local authorities of the potential risk.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The restless souls contained within all forms of life begin to awaken, bringing fiery hues back to the formerly dreary expanse of winter landscapes.—
Emily Leahy,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
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In some instances, people became restless dealing with red tape at the airport and had tantrums in the terminal.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Building up a man whose appetite, whose isolation, whose just general hunger to dominate, making that character and then giving him this one lifeline to humanity in Vanessa — that’s all calculated.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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The final nail in the coffin may have been Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, a 2012 juggernaut that primed the public for twisty, femme-centric thrillers—a hunger that still hasn’t faded.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Longing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/longing. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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