1
as in hungry
feeling a desire or need for food
after a full day of skiing, I was feeling absolutely famished
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
a group of local citizens working to ease the plight of the famished families in their community
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Recent Examples of famished
On the outskirts of Wollongong, waking at dawn from its 20-hour nap, a famished, branch-hugging koala stretched its claw skyward for a fat, juicy green eucalyptus leaf.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2024
Yang discovers that among famished Chinese in extremis, cannibalism was more widespread than previously known.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2013
Her eyes, so Mesopotamian, now overwhelmed her famished face.
—Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
After marathon talks that saw Cameron and his team sustain themselves on 23 bags of Haribo gummy sweets and a famished German Chancellor Angela Merkel forced to pop around the corner for some Belgian Frites with mayonnaise, the United Kingdom and its European partners finally reached an agreement.
—R. Daniel Kelemen, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2016
See All Example Sentences for famished
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2024
Yang discovers that among famished Chinese in extremis, cannibalism was more widespread than previously known.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2013
Her eyes, so Mesopotamian, now overwhelmed her famished face.
—Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
After marathon talks that saw Cameron and his team sustain themselves on 23 bags of Haribo gummy sweets and a famished German Chancellor Angela Merkel forced to pop around the corner for some Belgian Frites with mayonnaise, the United Kingdom and its European partners finally reached an agreement.
—R. Daniel Kelemen, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2016
See All Example Sentences for famished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famished
Adjective
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And in 2023, Jimmy Kimmel anticipated that his audience might be hungry, and stashed snacks underneath their seats (with attendant donations to the L.A. Food Bank).—
Justine Fisher,
People.com,
26 Feb. 2025
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Chelsea’s ownership viewed them all as young, smart, hungry, motivated people at the right point of their respective career arcs.—
Liam Twomey,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Three generations of the Kim family have created a politically repressed and economically impoverished state that is nonetheless a pivotal actor on the global stage.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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Now with all these things vanished, along with the bookstores and repertory cinemas, the city seems impoverished and disfigured.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And another research team, using data from 2015 to 2022, observed in an article available in Energy Research and Social Science that poor income distribution correlates with social unrest when fossil fuel subsidies are removed.—
Aldo Flores-Quiroga,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
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And poor work conditions can hurt morale in any field.—
Jeff Weiner,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps part of the problem was the downer premise: a broke Phyllis moves in with her San Francisco in-laws and struggles to find a job following the death of her dermatologist husband.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
21 Dec. 2024
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Show creator Natasha Rothwell plays Mel, a broke JFK airport employee who has never been in love.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Famished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famished. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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