hungry

adjective

HUNG-gree/ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/

Formshungrier, hungriest

4 meanings of hungry

1
adjective
Needing food because your stomach is empty.
Like a car that needs gas before it can keep going.
The children were hungry after playing outside all afternoon.
By noon the hikers felt hungry and stopped to eat.
Similarstarving, famished, peckish
Oppositefull, sated, satiated, satisfied
Note
2
adjectivefiguratively
Wanting something very much, such as success or attention.
Like really wanting a prize you have worked hard to get.
The young team was hungry for its first win.
She felt hungry for praise after months of hard work.
Similareager, keen, avid, thirsty, desperate
Oppositeindifferent, uninterested, apathetic
Note
3
adjective
Causing someone to feel the need for food.
Like a long walk that leaves you ready for a big meal.
Hauling crates around the warehouse is hungry work.
After a hungry morning in the fields, they devoured lunch.
Note
4
adjective
Poor and thin, so plants struggle to grow there.
Like dry sand where almost nothing can take root.
Nothing thrived in the hungry soil behind the cottage.
The farm sat on hungry land that gave poor harvests.
Similarbarren, infertile, poor, sterile
Oppositefertile, rich, fruitful, productive
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Old English hungrig, meaning "hungry." It comes from hunger plus the ending -y.