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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pining
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of longing
Rabbi Tuvia Brander, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2026
What could have been a straightforward suburban critique is instead closer to a rich, deep baroque painting capturing longing, power, and hushed domestic drama.
—Vanity Fair, 26 Mar. 2026
Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for longing
Noun
At the close of the Passover seder, and at the end of Yom Kippur, Jews declare their longing to return.
—Rabbi Tuvia Brander, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2026
What could have been a straightforward suburban critique is instead closer to a rich, deep baroque painting capturing longing, power, and hushed domestic drama.
—Vanity Fair, 26 Mar. 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
-
Her square to picky Venus, though, could pit self-care desires against home chores.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Trump has expressed a desire to push more responsibility for disasters down to states.—
Gabriela Aoun Angueira,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Clams, mussels, and lobster rolls will satisfy your seafood craving.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
-
At that time, functional MRI showed strong activation of the nucleus accumbens — a brain area that mediates reward, cravings, and addiction.—
David S. Ludwig,
STAT,
9 Apr. 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
-
After all, nothing puts a damper on a picnic faster than warm drinks — especially as temperatures rise and guests crave cold, refreshing beverages to quench their thirst.—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
7 Apr. 2026
-
When the mood strikes for a hair refresh, even brunettes have a sudden thirst for bursts of lightened hair.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The agency has even more ambitious plans in the years ahead — including putting boots down on the moon just a couple of years from now.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The actress puts her Broadway chops to good use as the ambitious perfectionist (and Barbra Streisand obsessive) Rachel Berry on Glee, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the role.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The old urge to confess is alive.—
Madeline Leung Coleman,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
-
But the urge to do more never left her.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the enactive approach, this restless renegotiation gives rise to our higher cognitive functions.—
Amanda Gefter,
Quanta Magazine,
10 Apr. 2026
-
For allergy sufferers, that buildup can mean sneezing, nasal congestion and restless nights.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Muffuletta at Central Grocery When hunger hits, head to Central Grocery, the birthplace of the muffuletta sandwich and a NOLA original since 1906.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
From that point in the novel to its wrenching end, June searches for her baby with the passionate abandon of a first-time mother and the aching hunger of every mother separated from her child.—
Meredith Maran,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Longing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/longing. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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