Library / English Dictionary

HUNGER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: hunger   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Strong desire for something (not food or drink)

Example:

hunger for affection

Synonyms:

hunger; hungriness; thirst; thirstiness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("hunger" is a kind of...):

desire (an inclination to want things)

Derivation:

hunger (have a craving, appetite, or great desire for)

hungry ((usually followed by 'for') extremely desirous)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation

Synonyms:

hunger; hungriness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("hunger" is a kind of...):

drive (a physiological state corresponding to a strong need or desire)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hunger"):

bulimia (pathologically insatiable hunger (especially when caused by brain lesions))

emptiness (having an empty stomach)

edacity; esurience; ravenousness; voraciousness; voracity (excessive desire to eat)

famishment; starvation (a state of extreme hunger resulting from lack of essential nutrients over a prolonged period)

malnourishment; undernourishment (not having enough food to develop or function normally)

Derivation:

hunger (be hungry; go without food)

hunger (feel the need to eat)

hungry (feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be hungry; go without food

Example:

Let's eat--I'm starving!

Synonyms:

famish; hunger; starve

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "hunger" is one way to...):

hurt; suffer (feel pain or be in pain)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

hunger (a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Have a craving, appetite, or great desire for

Synonyms:

crave; hunger; lust; starve; thirst

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "hunger" is one way to...):

desire; want (feel or have a desire for; want strongly)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

hunger (strong desire for something (not food or drink))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Feel the need to eat

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "hunger" is one way to...):

ache; hurt; smart (be the source of pain)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

hunger (a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Over recent decades, our understanding of hunger has greatly increased, but this new discovery turns things on their head.

(New Appetite Control Mechanism Found in Brain, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst.

(Hypothalamus, NCI Dictionary)

Phentermine, which was part of the Fen-Phen anti-obesity medication, stimulates hypothalamic release of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter involved in stress responses (fight-or-flight reactions), and reduces hunger sensation.

(Phentermine, NCI Thesaurus)

There is nothing to eat over there, and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Eating high-fibre foods is important when it comes to satisfying hunger, since these foods reduce snacking and therefore help control energy intake and promote healthier food choices.

(Researchers reveal potential of bread that suppresses appetite, University of Granada)

His young mind hungered for plain facts of life, after the long course of speculation and of mysticism on which he had been trained.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Absolute exhaustion—possibly mere hunger and fatigue,” said I, with my finger on the thready pulse, where the stream of life trickled thin and small.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

New studies show that salty food diminishes thirst while increasing hunger, due to a higher need for energy.

(Salty Diet Makes You Hungry, Not Thirsty, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A benign brain tumor that may be considered malignant because it can damage the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst.

(Craniopharyngioma, NCI Dictionary)

The grasslands the animals depend on for food dried up and watering holes disappeared, leaving many animals starving or weak from hunger.

(Born during a drought: Bad news for baboons, NSF)