as in hunger
suffering or death caused by having nothing to eat or not enough to eat; the condition of someone who is starving
The famine brought mass starvation. Millions of people face starvation every day. They died from starvation.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of starvation
No mention of the brutalities, starvation and mass murders committed in the name of communism by Lenin or Stalin, Mao or Pol Pot, Castro or Che Guevara.
—
Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 8 June 2026
One key way winter ticks harm moose is that heavy tick loads can cause hair loss, skin irritation, and blood loss, which can lead to starvation and death.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 3 June 2026
Because pets lack the natural instincts to survive in the wild, this practice frequently exposes them to starvation, extreme weather, vehicle accidents or fatal attacks by wildlife.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026
The villagers on the rock had ripped clothes and dirty faces, seemingly stunned that they had been found alive in the race against starvation and suffocation.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 8 June 2026
One key way winter ticks harm moose is that heavy tick loads can cause hair loss, skin irritation, and blood loss, which can lead to starvation and death.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 3 June 2026
Because pets lack the natural instincts to survive in the wild, this practice frequently exposes them to starvation, extreme weather, vehicle accidents or fatal attacks by wildlife.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026
The villagers on the rock had ripped clothes and dirty faces, seemingly stunned that they had been found alive in the race against starvation and suffocation.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starvation
Noun
-
South Korea arrives with a mix of European experience and a hunger for glory.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
Inside Ecole National Republique de Colombie in the Turgeau neighborhood where 1,246 individuals live in squalor, residents uprooted by gangs described lives defined by deepening hunger and increasingly inhumane conditions.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
This is Conolly’s Folly, built in 1740 at the height of a terrible famine.—
Amelia Soth,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2026
-
In the 40-minute video, titled Persistence (2025), Cammock, who won the Turner Prize in 2019, mentions Oliver Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland, which included a famine.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The outlet also reported that Chase had been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital earlier this month for malnutrition.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
What followed became one of the most significant archaeological investigations of slavery in the United States, revealing evidence of extreme physical labor, malnutrition, high infant mortality, and shortened life expectancy among people whose origins traced to various regions in Africa.—
Christina Ray Stanton,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Starvation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starvation. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
