starvation

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 Two more deaths due to starvation were recorded Thursday by the Palestinian health ministry, bringing the total number of those who died of malnutrition to 271, including 112 children. Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025 The declaration comes as the deaths of Palestinians from starvation in Gaza are rising. Filip Timotija, The Hill, 22 Aug. 2025 So is the death of every child stolen by starvation. Cindy McCain, Time, 19 Aug. 2025 The United Nations also warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Matt Bradley, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for starvation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starvation
Noun
  • Malnutrition experts say deaths among people with existing health problems are typical in the early stages of a hunger crisis.
    Dawoud Abu Alkas, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
  • But her number one tip to having a stress-free school morning is to curb hunger by leaving snacks readily available.
    Annabelle Canela, Parents, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Life for Palestinians in the enclave has only gotten worse since, culminating in an extraordinary declaration of famine by the IPC, the world's leading authority on food insecurity, on Aug. 22.
    Tom Bowman, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Humanitarian experts have said there is no legal mechanism that a government body or the U.N. would have to go through to formally declare a famine.
    Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, including 273 adults and 112 children that have died of starvation and malnutrition, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
    Callum Sutherland, Time, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Striking images of starvation and extreme malnutrition after months of Israel’s blockade of Gaza triggered global protests last month.
    Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Starvation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starvation. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on starvation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!