Meanings
hunger1
plural hungers
- broadlycountableuncountableAny strong desire or need.
I have a hunger to win.
3 more examples
O sacred hunger of ambitious minds!
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 1When gangsters bump my shit, can they feel my hunger?
2003, “What Up Gangsta”, in Curtis Jackson, Rob Tewlow (lyrics), Reef Tewlow (music), Get Rich or Die Tryin', performed by 50 Cent, New York City: Shady RecordsPutin's unwillingness to declare another partial reserve call up has created a wider manpower hunger in the Russian military and border service, and Putin alone maintains the ability to remedy this issue.
2025 February 6, Angelica Evans, “Ukraine’s Kursk Incursion: Six Month Assessment”, in Ukraine Project, Institute for the Study of War
hunger2
present singular third person hungers · participle present hungering · participle past hungered · past hungered
- figurativelyintransitiveTo have a desire (for); to long; to yearn.
I hungered for your love.
2 more examples
Blessed are they which doe hunger and thirst after righteousnesse: for they shall be filled.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 5:6In our lives we hunger for those we cannot touch.
1993, The The, Love Is Stronger Than Death - archaictransitiveTo make hungry; to famish.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
hunger · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*kenk-“to burn, smart, desire, hunger, thirst”
- Proto-Germanic*hungruz
- Proto-West Germanic*hungr
- Old Englishhungor“hunger, desire; famine”
- Middle Englishhunger
- Englishhunger
From Middle English hunger, from Old English hungor (“hunger, desire; famine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hungruz, *hunhruz (“hunger”), from Proto-Indo-European *kenk- (“to burn, smart, desire, hunger, thirst”). Cognate with West Frisian honger, hûnger (“hunger”), Dutch honger (“hunger”), German Low German Hunger (“hunger”), German Hunger (“hunger”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish hunger (“hunger”), Faroese and Icelandic hungur (“hunger”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →hunger · verb
- Proto-Germanic*hungrijaną
- Proto-West Germanic*hungrijan
- Old Englishhyngran
- Middle Englishhungren
- Englishhunger
From Middle English hungren, from Old English hyngran, hyngrian, ġehyngrian (“to be hungry”), from Proto-West Germanic *hungrijan, from Proto-Germanic *hungrijaną.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek πεῖνα, λιμός
- πεῖνα (peîna)need for food
- λιμός (limós)need for food
- σιτοδεία (sitodeía)need for food
- πεινάω (peináō)need food
- πεινάω (peináō)desire
Arabic رَغْبَة, تَعَطُّش
- رَغْبَة (raḡba)strong desire
- تَعَطُّش (taʕaṭṭuš)strong desire
- جُوع (jūʕ)need for food
- جَاعَ (jāʕa)need food
Basque gose
- goseneed for food
Bengali খিদা, ভুখ
- খিদা (khida)need for food
- ভুখ (bhukh)need for food
- ক্ষুধা (khudha)need for food
- ভুক (bhuk)need for food
Bulgarian жа́жда, глад
- жа́жда (žážda)strong desire
- глад (glad)need for food
- гладувам (gladuvam)need food
- жадувам (žaduvam)desire
Catalan set, gana
- setstrong desire
- gananeed for food
- famneed for food
Chinese Mandarin 渴望, 飢餓 /饥饿
- 渴望 (kěwàng)strong desire
- 飢餓 /饥饿 (jī'è)need for food
Czech hlad, hladovět
- hladneed for food
- hladovětneed food
Danish sult
- sultneed for food
Dutch honger, trek
- hongerneed for food
- trekneed for food
- honger hebbenneed food
- hongerenneed food
- verlangendesire
Esperanto malsato, malsati
- malsatoneed for food
- malsatineed food
Estonian nälg
- nälgneed for food
Finnish himo, nälkä
- himostrong desire
- nälkästrong desire
- nälkäneed for food
- nähdä nälkääneed food
- himoitadesire
- isotadesire
French soif, faim
- soifstrong desire
- faimneed for food
- avoir faimneed food
- avoir soifdesire
German Hunger, hungern
- Hungerneed for food
- hungernneed food
- Hunger habenneed food
- hungrig seinneed food
Greek λαχτάρα, πόθος
- λαχτάρα (lachtára)strong desire
- πόθος (póthos)strong desire
- πείνα (peína)strong desire
- πείνα (peína)need for food
- λιγούρα (ligoúra)need for food
- ασιτία (asitía)need for food
- λιμός (limós)need for food
- πεινώ (peinó)need food
- ποθώ (pothó)desire
- λαχταρώ (lachtaró)desire
Hebrew רָעָב
- רָעָב (ra'áv)need for food
Hindi भूख
- भूख (bhūkh)need for food
Hungarian éhség
- éhségneed for food
Icelandic hungur, sultur
- hungurneed for food
- sulturneed for food
Indonesian lapar
- laparneed for food
Irish ocras, anrachán
- ocrasstrong desire
- anrachánstrong desire
- ocrasneed for food
- ocrasneed food
Italian fame, avere fame
- fameneed for food
- avere fameneed food
Japanese 飢え, 空腹
- 飢え (ue)need for food
- 空腹 (kūfuku)need for food
- 飢餓 (kiga)need for food
- 飢える (ueru)need food
- 飢える (ueru)desire
Korean 갈망, 굶주림
- 갈망 (galmang)strong desire
- 굶주림 (gumjurim)need for food
- 배고픔 (baegopeum)need for food
Latin famēs, ēsuriō
- famēsneed for food
- ēsuriōneed food
Latvian bads
- badsneed for food
Lithuanian alkis
- alkisneed for food
Malay lapar
- laparneed for food
Norwegian hungre
- hungredesire
Norwegian Bokmål hunger, sult
- hungerstrong desire
- sultneed for food
- hungerneed for food
- sulteneed food
Persian گرسنگی
- گرسنگی (gorosnegi)need for food
Polish żądza, głód
- żądzastrong desire
- głódneed for food
- łaknąćneed food
- głodowaćneed food
- łaknąćdesire
- pożądaćdesire
- pragnąćdesire
Portuguese sede, fome
- sedestrong desire
- fomeneed for food
- ter fomeneed food
- desejardesire
Romanian foame, fie foame
- foameneed for food
- fie foameneed food
Russian жа́жда, го́лод
- жа́жда (žážda)strong desire
- го́лод (gólod)need for food
- проголода́ться (progolodátʹsja)need food
- голода́ть (golodátʹ)need food
- жа́ждать (žáždatʹ)desire
- алкать (alkatʹ)desire
Scottish Gaelic acras
- acrasneed for food
Slovak hlad
- hladneed for food
Spanish sed, anhelo
- sedstrong desire
- anhelostrong desire
- acuciastrong desire
- hambreneed for food
- gazuzaneed for food
- gusaneed for food
- fambre (desus.)need for food
- fiacaneed for food
- hambrosioneed for food
- tener hambreneed food
- hambrearneed food
- tener seddesire
- amalayardesire
- anhelardesire
- ambicionardesire
Swahili njaa, unenge
- njaastrong desire
- unengestrong desire
- njaaneed for food
- unengeneed for food
- kuwa na njaaneed food
Swedish hunger, hunger
- hungerstrong desire
- hungerneed for food
- hungraneed food
- hungradesire
Tamil பசி
- பசி (paci)need for food
Thai ความหิว
- ความหิว (kwaam-hǐu)need for food
Turkish açlık, aç
- açlıkneed for food
- açneed for food
- acıkmakneed food
Ukrainian го́лод
- го́лод (hólod)need for food
Urdu بھوک
- بھوک (bhūk)need for food
Vietnamese đói, bị đói
- đóineed for food
- bị đóineed food
- thèmdesire
Welsh newyn
- newynneed for food
Yiddish הונגער
- הונגער (hunger)need for food
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with hunger
All rhymes →Cite this entry
hunger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunger
“hunger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunger. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hunger,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunger.
Source: hunger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.