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
Tomris Laffly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
This context helps explain why a throwback year like 2016 has become synonymous—not for a desire to turn back the clock, but for a longing to reclaim variation, balance, and psychological space that many feel has been lost.
—Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for longing
Noun
Her perceptive lensing is especially poignant across wordless scenes where the two girls romance their teacher through longing gazes.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
This context helps explain why a throwback year like 2016 has become synonymous—not for a desire to turn back the clock, but for a longing to reclaim variation, balance, and psychological space that many feel has been lost.
—Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 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
-
This follows a general trend of people reporting less desire to get married and have families at a young age.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Born from Raimi’s desire to make a movie about pulp hero the Shadow before he was denied the rights by Universal, Darkman is an original creation, starring Liam Neeson as a scientist who is disfigured in a mob attack and given superpowers thanks to an experimental treatment.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And if this doesn’t satisfy all your hot honey cravings, other brands have their own sweet and spicy creations, including Wingstop, Smithfield, Ritz, and even Aldi.—
Melinda Salchert,
Southern Living,
23 Jan. 2026
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This shift helps explain why mental exhaustion often comes with stronger cravings for quick rewards, like sugary snacks, comfort foods or mindless scrolling.—
Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse,
The Conversation,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
-
This is, in part, correct: Voldemort is extremely covetous of power.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
There’s a thirst for community.—
Hannah Karp,
Billboard,
28 Jan. 2026
-
For decades, those in Region C have said more water is needed to quench the thirst population and business growth that has flocked to North Texas; meanwhile, Region D residents have pleaded for alternative options that wouldn’t displace them.—
Lana Ferguson,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The brainchild of Chris Roberts, the mind behind Wing Commander and Freelancer, Star Citizen is probably the most ambitious ongoing project in video games, having raised nearly one billion dollars in funding as of this writing.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Originally conceived in the late 1950s as an ambitious shopping mall, the project was never completed and was later repurposed by security forces.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Always there has been this pull; to go out into the world and explore, and this urge to stay home, swim in the sea, grow a garden, live quietly.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Roads are still covered with ice across North Texas as the urge to get out of the house or drive to work starts to weigh more heavily on many.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike restless Nora, Agnes is married with a son, able to view her deeply flawed dad from the vantage point of both a daughter and mother.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Many knitters describe the activity as a way to channel anxious or restless energy into something tangible.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
3 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There was too much hunger and lack for gorgeous architecture to take hold.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Nearly one in 12 people worldwide suffers from hunger, while one-third of the world’s population cannot afford a healthy diet.—
Reem Alabali Radovan,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Longing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/longing. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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