Hunger — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈhəŋ-gər/ hun·ger

Meaning & Definition of Hunger

Hunger (noun)

  1. a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient
  2. an uneasy sensation occasioned by the lack of food
  3. a weakened condition brought about by prolonged lack of food

Hunger (verb)

  1. to feel or suffer hunger
  2. to have an eager desire
  3. to make hungry

Hunger (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a need or desire for food

    "no degree of hunger would induce me to eat octopus"

    similar: appetite, belly, emptiness, famishment, munchies, stomach
    related: rapaciousness, rapacity, ravenousness, voraciousness, voracity, malnutrition, starvation, undernourishment, craving, sweet tooth, famine, fast, hunger strike, gluttony, gourmandism, greed, hoggishness
    opposite: inappetence
    near: fill, fullness, glut, repleteness, repletion, satiation, satiety, satisfaction, surfeit

  2. a strong wish for something

    "a lonely girl with a desperate hunger for love"

    similar: appetency, appetite, craving, desire, drive, hankering, itch, jones (slang), letch, longing, lust, passion, pining, thirst, thirstiness, urge, yearning, yen
    related: compulsion, impulse, impulsion, will, zeal, liking, love, taste, weakness, eagerness, impatience, want, wish, necessity, need, requirement, obsession, acquisitiveness, avarice, avariciousness, avidity, covetousness, cupidity, greed, greediness, rapaciousness, rapacity, cacoëthes, mania
    near: abhorrence, abomination, allergy, averseness, aversion, disfavor, disgust, disinclination, dislike, disliking, distaste, hatred, loathing, nausea, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion, apathy, indifference, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern

  3. urgent desire or interest

    "reads everything he can find on airplanes with a seemingly insatiable hunger"

    similar: appetite, ardor, avidity, avidness, desirousness, eagerness, enthusiasm, excitement, impatience, keenness, lust, thirst
    related: alacrity, quickness, ambition, gusto, zest, appetence, appetency, fervency, passion, warmth, zeal, amenability, readiness, willingness
    opposite: apathy, indifference
    near: casualness, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern, aloofness, detachment, impassivity, languidness, languor, halfheartedness, lukewarmness

Related Entry: Hunger (for) (verb)

Hunger (for) is a different word from Hunger. The synonyms below are for hunger (for), not for hunger.

  1. to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy

    "voters hungering for honest and upright leadership"

    similar: ache (for), covet, crave, desiderate, desire, die (for), hanker (for or after), itch (for), jones (for) (slang), long (for), lust (for or after), pant (after), pine (for), repine (for), salivate (for), sigh (for), thirst (for), want, wish (for), yearn (for), yen (for), set one's heart on
    related: spoil (for), adore, delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), like, love, relish, revel (in), favor, prefer, admire, appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value
    near: abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe, decline, refuse, reject, spurn

Related Entry: Hunger strike (noun)

Hunger strike is a different word from Hunger. The synonyms below are for hunger strike, not for hunger.

  1. as in famine, fast

    similar: famine, fast, craving, sweet tooth, gluttony, gourmandism, greed, hoggishness, malnutrition, starvation, undernourishment, rapaciousness, rapacity, ravenousness, voraciousness, voracity, appetite, belly, emptiness, famishment, hunger, munchies, stomach
    opposite: inappetence, fill, fullness, glut, repleteness, repletion, satiation, satiety, satisfaction, surfeit

Related Entry: From hunger (phrase)

From hunger is a different word from Hunger. The synonyms below are for from hunger, not for hunger.

  1. falling short of a standard

    "I love a good science fiction novel, but my current read is revealing itself to be from hunger."

    similar: bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack (slang), wanting, wretched, wrong, below par
    related: abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin' (slang), brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly (slang), horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky (slang), terrible, unspeakable, defective, faulty, flawed, egregious, flagrant, gross, bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, reprehensible, rotten, rubbishy, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy, abominable, odious, vile, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, meager, mean, miserly, scanty, shabby, short, skimp, skimpy, spare, stingy, miscreant, scurrilous, villainous, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham
    opposite: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable
    near: classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss (slang), capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, exceptional, fabulous, fine, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful, better, fancy, high-grade, special, sufficient, average, borderline, fair, mediocre, middling, minimal, so-so, unexceptional, suitable, useful, worthy, gratifying, satisfying

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hunger

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hunger:

Slang: jones
appetite, belly, emptiness, famishment, munchies, stomach, appetency, craving, desire, drive, hankering, itch, letch, longing, lust, passion, pining, thirst, thirstiness, urge, yearning, yen, ardor, avidity, avidness, desirousness, eagerness, enthusiasm, excitement, impatience, keenness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hunger

Words with the opposite meaning of Hunger:

inappetence, apathy, indifference

Related Words for Hunger

rapaciousness, rapacity, ravenousness, voraciousness, voracity, malnutrition, starvation, undernourishment, sweet tooth, famine, fast, hunger strike, gluttony, gourmandism, greed, hoggishness, compulsion, impulse, impulsion, will, zeal, liking, love, taste, weakness, want, wish, necessity, need, requirement

Near Antonyms of Hunger

fill, fullness, glut, repleteness, repletion, satiation, satiety, satisfaction, surfeit, abhorrence, abomination, allergy, averseness, aversion, disfavor, disgust, disinclination, dislike, disliking, distaste, hatred, loathing, nausea, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern, casualness

Word Forms of Hunger

Inflections: hungered, hungering

Origin & Etymology of Hunger

Middle English, from Old English hungor; akin to Old High German hungar hunger, Lithuanian kanka torture

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Hunger

Words & Phrases Containing Hunger

hunger strike, anti-hunger, from hunger, die from/of hunger

Frequently Asked Questions about Hunger

What does "Hunger" mean?

"Hunger" means a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hunger"?

Other words for "Hunger" include appetite, belly, emptiness, famishment, munchies, stomach, appetency and craving. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hunger" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hunger"?

There are 82 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hunger". Common alternatives include appetite, belly, emptiness, famishment, munchies, stomach, appetency, craving, desire and drive.

What is the opposite of "Hunger"?

Antonyms of "Hunger" include inappetence, apathy and indifference. Near antonyms include fill, fullness, glut and repleteness.

How do you use "Hunger" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hunger" in a sentence: "no degree of hunger would induce me to eat octopus"; "a lonely girl with a desperate hunger for love"; "reads everything he can find on airplanes with a seemingly insatiable hunger".

Is "Hunger" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hunger" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Hunger" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Hunger" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Hunger"?

"Hunger" is pronounced /ˈhəŋ-gər/ and divided into syllables as hun·ger.