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thirst

thirst

40 3.6
A strong wish to have or achieve something
  • noun
  • /θɜrst/
translation icon : sed
  • She wants you to thirst for knowledge about who she is.
  • thirst for knowledge
  • thirst for power
  • thirst for adventure

I will never quench my thirst for Russian history.

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Examples

  • Moreover, the novels presented a period of history that answered the students' thirst for adventure and involvement.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Kolchak had a passion for scientific discovery and oceanography, and a thirst for adventure.

  • Perhaps it will be the thirst for knowledge or some grand creative fire within.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • But the central lesson of The Invention of News is that people have always had a thirst for news.

  • I will never quench my thirst for Russian history.

  • She had a thirst for knowledge.

  • Competition was the basis of the settlement and the result of inhabitants' unyielding thirst for wealth.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The drama generates not weariness with war but a thirst for justice, for sacrifice, and revenge.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Joseph's longing for righteousness welled up in him like the thirst of a man lost in the desert.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Many students have a thirst for knowledge that drives them to explore different subjects.

Synonyms

desire
vsthirst
1.6

A strong wish to have or experience something

is a similar strong want but typically highlighted as non-food craving
appetite
vsthirst
299 2.1

A desire to eat or to have new experiences

is focused on strong craving especially not tied to eating
craving
vsthirst
78 3.7

A very strong desire for things like food or cigarettes

is similar but often used with non-physical or symbolic wants
hunger
vsthirst
69 3.2

A strong desire for something, like success or knowledge

is a general strong desire often noted as not food related
hankering
vsthirst
11 6.6

A strong wish to have or do something

is the same strong wish but noted as not related to food
hungriness
vsthirst
5.9

A strong desire to get or achieve something

is the same idea but often used more neutrally for craving
thirstiness
vsthirst
3.5

A strong desire for things like knowledge or success

is similar but applies to any strong desire beyond tangible needs
7.0

A very strong wish for more that cannot be satisfied

means a strong desire but without stressing endless or unfillable need
appetence
vsthirst
9.9

A strong desire to have or do something

is the specialized non-food sense rather than general appetite
appetency
vsthirst
9.9

A strong wish to have or try something

is focused on desire often described as not about eating

Antonyms

71 4.6

Lack of interest or concern about something

5 5.8

Not feeling interested in something, like a talk or task

Idioms

To drink until you no longer feel a need for water

Compounds

A strong wish to learn and understand new things

A very strong wish for more that cannot be satisfied

thirst-buster
  • Informal
4.0

A cold drink that quickly makes you feel refreshed

How Strong

obsession
262 5.1
thirst
40 3.6
craving
78 3.7
desire
1.6
interest
1.0

Surface Forms

thirst singular
thirsts plural

Etymology

The word thirst also comes from the old þurst for 'dryness', and people used it for a strong need as well. So a thirst for adventure is like being 'dry' for new things and wanting them badly.