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.
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Recent Examples of starvation
By 1850, the Great Famine had not only reduced the population through starvation and emigration but also accelerated the advance of English across Ireland’s midlands, as far as Sligo on the west coast.
—
Big Think, 4 May 2026
There is no serious ethical or political system that can justify the murder and starvation of children.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
In visual journalism, The Times got a breaking news photography award for depicting devastation and starvation in Gaza resulting from Israel’s war in the territory.
—Jennifer Peltz, Twin Cities, 4 May 2026
Her autopsy showed the 11-year-old died of starvation and child abuse.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Big Think, 4 May 2026
There is no serious ethical or political system that can justify the murder and starvation of children.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
In visual journalism, The Times got a breaking news photography award for depicting devastation and starvation in Gaza resulting from Israel’s war in the territory.
—Jennifer Peltz, Twin Cities, 4 May 2026
Her autopsy showed the 11-year-old died of starvation and child abuse.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starvation
Noun
-
For example, dopamine is crucial to link motivation about hunger to obtaining food.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
-
In an effort to raise money to fight hunger and homelessness, Hands Across America attempted to link people hand-in-hand from coast to coast, each participant being encouraged to make a donation.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Noun
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The most recent famine was declared in Gaza City last year.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
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The war in Sudan began in April 2023 and has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million and pushed parts of the country into famine.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Hospital is an oasis Inside the sprawling slum, where gang violence has left scores of children orphaned, rapes of women and girls are frequent and cholera, hunger and malnutrition remain entrenched, La Fontaine is widely seen as both an oasis and a lifeline.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
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The individual with the cavity would have exhibited signs of being in immense pain, possibly unable to chew properly, which could have led to malnutrition or a deeper infection of the jawbone, Kolobova said.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Starvation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starvation. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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