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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Example Sentences
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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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Back then, even Southern California, so far from the action, managed to profit from the gold fields up north, from selling cattle to feed the hungry prospectors.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2025
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Vibe Check: Pistons ‘still hungry’ amid turnaround The surging … Detroit Pistons?—
Jason Jones,
The Athletic,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Guatemala, a small, impoverished nation scarred by a brutal civil war, has a substantial undocumented population in the United States.—
Daniele Volpe,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
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The workshop's initial mission was to provide a trade for widows and other impoverished Palestinian women.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Understand that poor sleep hygiene can negatively impact the quantity and quality of sleep.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
24 Jan. 2025
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The Texans’ offensive line was mostly poor this season, unable to consistently protect Stroud.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Seeger invites the broke musician to stay on his couch and into the heart of his family and takes him under his wing.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
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About half of participants lost money, and 1 in 6 went broke.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near famished
Cite this Entry
“Famished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famished. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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