hunger
gb/hˈʌŋɡɚ/ us/hˈʌŋɡɚ/
A2
English
~ 9700
éhség, vágy, sóvárgás, vágyik, sóvárog, éhezik
NOUN
A2
1
éhség
A2
Usage pattern:
[someone] feels hunger
After skipping lunch, he felt a sharp hunger in his stomach.
Miután kihagyta az ebédet, mardosó éhséget érzett a gyomrában.
Long periods of hunger can damage a child's health.
A hosszan tartó éhség károsíthatja a gyermek egészségét.
The charity works to reduce hunger in rural areas.
She woke up in the night with intense hunger.
War and drought have caused widespread hunger in the region.
Learner examples
I feel strong hunger before dinner.
Vacsora előtt nagyon éhes vagyok.
Hunger makes it hard for children to study.
Az éhség miatt a gyerekeknek nehéz tanulniuk.
Many people in the world still live with hunger.
After the long walk, our hunger was very big.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"I am hunger"* instead of *"I am hungry"*. Use the adjective *hungry* to talk about how you feel, and use the noun *hunger* mainly in more formal speech or writing, or with other nouns (for example, *world hunger*, *severe hunger*).
Meaning
the bodily need for food
Collocations
feel hunger
|suffer from hunger
|die of hunger
|chronic hunger
|severe hunger
|hunger pangs
Synonyms
starvation (More extreme and usually longer-lasting lack of food than ordinary hunger.)
|
appetite (A general desire to eat, not necessarily caused by not eating for a long time.)
Antonyms
satiety (The state of feeling fully satisfied after eating.)
|
fullness (The feeling of having enough or too much food in the stomach.)
Themes
health
|daily life
|food
|society
|body
Definition
The bad feeling in your body when you need food and have not eaten.
The uncomfortable physical feeling caused by not having enough food.
NOUN
B2
2
Usage pattern:
a hunger for [something]
His hunger for success drove him to work late every night.
A siker iránti vágya arra hajtotta, hogy minden este későig dolgozzon.
The speech spoke to a deep hunger for change in the country.
A beszéd az országban élő mély változásvágyat szólította meg.
She has a real hunger for knowledge and reads every day.
Fame never satisfied his hunger for love and acceptance.
The company is trying to tap into consumers' hunger for new technology.
Learner examples
He has a hunger for power.
Erős hatalomvágya van.
My hunger for success helps me study hard.
A siker iránti vágyam segít abban, hogy sokat tanuljak.
The book comes from the writer's hunger for truth.
People have a hunger for real human connection.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse physical *hunger* for food with this abstract sense. When the thing you want is not food, it is often better to say *a hunger for [something]* (for example, *a hunger for success*), not *hunger of success* or just *hunger success*.
Meaning
strong desire for something
Collocations
hunger for power
|hunger for success
|hunger for attention
|spiritual hunger
|insatiable hunger
|deep hunger
Synonyms
craving (Suggests a very strong, sometimes uncontrollable desire.)
|
longing (Emphasizes a deep, often emotional or painful desire over time.)
|
thirst (Often used figuratively in the same way, especially in the phrase *thirst for power*.)
Antonyms
contentment (A feeling of being happy with what you have, without strong desire for more.)
|
indifference (A lack of interest or desire toward something.)
Themes
emotions
|motivation
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A very strong want for something that is not food, like success, love, or power.
A strong, often driving desire for something that is not food, such as power, success, or love.
VERB
C1
3
Usage pattern:
[someone] hungers for [something]
She still hungers for recognition from her parents.
Még mindig vágyik a szülei elismerésére.
Many people hunger for a sense of purpose in their lives.
Sokan vágynak arra, hogy legyen céljuk az életben.
The novel shows a society that hungers for freedom.
He hungers for real conversation, not small talk.
Artists often hunger for honest feedback on their work.
Learner examples
She hungers for true love.
Igazi szerelemre vágyik.
Many young people hunger for freedom.
Sok fiatal vágyik a szabadságra.
He hungers for a better life.
The country hungers for peace.
Common mistake:
Some learners try to use *hunger* as a verb for food, as in *"I hunger now"* in everyday speech. In modern English it is much more natural to say *"I am hungry"* or *"I am starving". As a verb, *hunger* is most often used for strong non-food desires: *hunger for power*, *hunger for love*, and so on.
Meaning
to strongly long for something
Collocations
hunger for power
|hunger for justice
|still hungers for
|hunger for connection
|hunger for freedom
|secretly hungers for
Synonyms
yearn (Often sounds emotional and slightly literary, similar level of intensity.)
|
crave (Suggests a strong, sometimes urgent desire; can be more informal.)
|
long for (Focuses on a deep desire that continues over time.)
Antonyms
reject (To refuse or turn away from something instead of strongly wanting it.)
|
shun (To deliberately avoid something rather than desire it.)
Themes
emotions
|motivation
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To strongly want something that is not food, like love, success, or power.
To have a very strong desire for something that is not food.
VERB
C1
LITERARY
4
éhezik
A2
Usage pattern:
[someone] hungers
In many conflict zones, civilians still hunger despite international aid.
Sok konfliktusövezetben a civilek a nemzetközi segélyek ellenére is éheznek.
Whole communities hunger while nearby farms export food abroad.
Egész közösségek éheznek, miközben a közeli gazdaságok élelmiszert exportálnak külföldre.
He vowed that no child in his country would hunger again.
They hunger through the long winter months when work is scarce.
Generations have hungered in that region due to repeated droughts.
Learner examples
Many people in poor areas hunger every day.
Sok szegény térségben az emberek nap mint nap éheznek.
Children should not hunger in a rich country.
Egy gazdag országban a gyerekeknek nem lenne szabad éhezniük.
Some families hunger even when they work hard.
In the story, the villagers hunger during the long winter.
Common mistake:
This verb use of *hunger* is quite formal or literary. In everyday English, people more often say *go hungry* or *starve* rather than *hunger*. Learners may overuse *hunger* as a verb; it is better reserved for serious or literary contexts.
Meaning
to suffer from lack of food
Collocations
millions hunger
|continue to hunger
|hunger in silence
|children hunger
|people still hunger
|families that hunger
Synonyms
starve (More common and often stronger; can mean to suffer or even die from having no food.)
Antonyms
be well-fed (Describes having enough or more than enough food instead of suffering from hunger.)
Themes
health
|society
|poverty
|body
Definition
To live with strong physical hunger because you do not have enough food.
To suffer because of not having enough food to eat.
Grammar
Dictionary form
hunger
IPA
GB/hˈʌŋɡɚ/
US/hˈʌŋɡɚ/
Syllables & stress
hun - ger (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (hun)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: hunger
- Plural: hunger
Verb
- Base: hunger
- 3rd Person Singular: hungers
- Present Participle: hungering
- Past: hungered
Word family
Expressions
a hunger for power
1/ə hˈʌŋɡɚ fɚ pˈaʊɚ/
fixed phrase
strong desire to control others
A very strong wish to have power and control over other people or over a country or company.
Examples
- The dictator's hunger for power led to years of war.
- Politicians with a hunger for power can be dangerous.
- His hunger for power destroyed his friendships.
die of hunger
1/dˈaɪ əv hˈʌŋɡɚ/
fixed phrase
die because you have no food
To die because you do not have enough food; often also used in jokes to mean you are very hungry.
Examples
- In the famine, many people died of hunger and disease.
- We joked that we were going to die of hunger if dinner was any later.
- No one should die of hunger in a world with so much food.
hunger for
1/hˈʌŋɡɚ fɚ/
fixed phrase
strongly want something nonfood
To strongly want something that is not food, such as power, love, or success.
Examples
- Many voters hunger for honest leaders.
- Children hunger for attention from their parents.
- The film captures our hunger for simple, quiet moments.
hunger strike
1/hˈʌŋɡɚ stɹˈaɪk/
fixed phrase
refusing to eat as protest
A kind of protest in which a person or group stops eating to make people listen to their demands.
Examples
- The activist began a hunger strike to demand fair elections.
- Several prisoners went on a hunger strike to protest poor conditions.
- The government finally responded after the hunger strike gained media attention.
world hunger
1/wˈɚld hˈʌŋɡɚ/
fixed phrase
global problem of not enough food
The problem that many people in different countries do not have enough food.
Examples
- The organization raises money to fight world hunger.
- Reducing world hunger is one of the United Nations' main goals.
- Technology alone cannot solve world hunger without political change.
hunger pangs
1/hˈʌŋɡɚ pˈæŋz/
fixed phrase
sharp feelings of hunger
Quick, strong pains in your stomach that you feel when you are very hungry.
Examples
- By late afternoon, hunger pangs were distracting her from her work.
- By mid-morning, the hunger pangs had already started.
- He grabbed a sandwich to quiet the hunger pangs.
- She grabbed a snack to stop the hunger pangs.
- Long flights always give me hunger pangs halfway through.
- The children tried to sleep through their hunger pangs.