Synonyms of pine

pine

verb

as in to long

Related Words

• long
• yearn
• fear
• despair
• stress
• worry
• agonize
• stew
• fret
• trouble
• sweat
• bother
• chafe
• fuss

Dissimilar Words

• accept
• take
• bear
• sustain
• tolerate
• endure
• abide
• stick out
• stomach

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pine distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of pine are hanker, hunger, long, thirst, and yearn. While all these words mean "to have a strong desire for something," pine implies a languishing or a fruitless longing for what is impossible.

pined for a lost love

In what contexts can hanker take the place of pine?

While in some cases nearly identical to pine, hanker suggests the uneasy promptings of unsatisfied appetite or desire.

always hankering for money

How do hunger and thirst relate to one another, in the sense of pine?

Both hunger and thirst imply an insistent or impatient craving or a compelling need.

hungered for a business of his own

thirsted for power

When can long be used instead of pine?

In some situations, the words long and pine are roughly equivalent. However, long implies a wishing with one's whole heart and often a striving to attain.

longed for some rest

Where would yearn be a reasonable alternative to pine?

The synonyms yearn and pine are sometimes interchangeable, but yearn suggests an eager, restless, or painful longing.

yearned for a stage career

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pine

When the episode opens, Belly has been in Paris for a year while Conrad was at med school brooding and pining, his two favorite pastimes. —Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 18 Sep. 2025

The 34-mile road winds through several ecosystems from cove hardwood to northern hardwood to pine oak to spruce fir. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2025

Parts read like a narrative, other parts sound like a letter to the husband, sometimes explanatory, sometimes apologetic, sometimes pining. —The Know, Denver Post, 18 May 2025

Songs that should blaze by are sluggish while tunes that should pine and linger are sped through. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025