hungry
hungry
Pronunciation
First Syllable: /hʌŋ/
/h/ - voiceless glottal fricative (as in "hat")
/ʌ/ - near-open front unrounded vowel (as in "cup")
/ŋ/ - voiced velar nasal (as in "sing")
Second Syllable: /ɡri/
/ɡ/ - voiced velar plosive (as in "go")
/r/ - voiced alveolar approximant (as in "red")
/i/ - close front unrounded vowel (as in "see")
Word Form Variations
Adjective: hungry
Adverb: hungrily
Noun: hunger
Verb: hunger (as in "to hunger for something")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Definition 1: Experiencing a physiological need or strong desire for food.
Synonyms: famished, ravenous, starving, peckish
Antonyms: full, sated, satisfied
Definition 2: Having a strong desire or craving for something other than food, often used metaphorically.
Synonyms: eager, greedy, covetous, avid
Antonyms: indifferent, apathetic, content
Adverb
Hungrily
Definition: In a way that shows a strong desire for food, or a strong eagerness for something.
Synonyms: eagerly, greedily, voraciously
Antonyms: indifferently, reluctantly
Noun
Hunger
Definition 1: The uneasy sensation occasioned by the want of food; craving appetite.
Synonyms: appetite, craving, starvation, emptiness
Antonyms: satiety, fullness
Definition 2: A strong desire or craving for something.
Synonyms: yearning, longing, desire, thirst
Antonyms: aversion, dislike, apathy
Verb
Hunger
Definition: To have a strong desire or craving for something (often followed by "for" or "after").
Synonyms: crave, yearn, long, pine
Antonyms: dislike, spurn, reject
Examples of Use
Books:
"The very air was hungry and thin." (George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, 1949) - This example uses "hungry" metaphorically to describe a desolate and oppressive atmosphere.
"He was always hungry for knowledge, devouring every book he could lay his hands on." (Fictional example, consistent with common literary usage) - Here, "hungry" describes an intense desire for intellectual gain.
Newspapers:
"Economists warn that rising food prices could leave more families hungry this winter." (The Guardian) - This directly refers to the physiological need for food due to poverty.
"The national football team is hungry for a championship title after years of near misses." (Daily Nation) - This uses "hungry" to express a strong desire for success in sports.
Online Publications:
"5 Simple and Healthy Snacks for When You're Feeling Hungry Between Meals." (Wellness blog post, e.g., Healthline.com) - A practical application of "hungry" in the context of diet and nutrition.
"Startups are hungry for innovation, constantly seeking new ways to disrupt established markets." (TechCrunch.com) - This showcases "hungry" in a business context, indicating a strong drive for progress.
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" (Common exaggerated line in many comedic or adventure films, e.g., Shrek, 2001) - A hyperbolic expression of extreme hunger.
Music: "I'm hungry like the wolf." (Duran Duran, "Hungry Like the Wolf," 1982) - This iconic song title and lyric use "hungry" to convey a primal, intense desire, often implying pursuit or ambition.
Television: "The contestants on the survival show are clearly hungry and exhausted, but their determination remains." (Reality TV show commentary, e.g., Survivor) - Describes the physical state of participants in a challenging environment.
Video Games: "Your character is hungry and needs to find food soon, or their health will deplete." (On-screen message in survival video games, e.g., Minecraft) - A direct gameplay mechanic indicating a player's need for sustenance.
Podcasts: "Our guest today is a young entrepreneur who's incredibly hungry to make a difference in the world." (Interview podcast, e.g., How I Built This) - Describes a person's ambitious and driven personality.
General Public Discourse:
"I'm really hungry; let's grab some lunch." (Everyday conversation between friends) - The most common and direct use of the word.
"After that long hike, I was absolutely hungry." (Casual conversation describing a physical state) - Used to convey a strong appetite after physical exertion.
"The new generation of activists is hungry for change." (Political commentary or discussion) - Expresses a collective strong desire for societal transformation.
10 Famous Quotes Using Hungry
"Stay hungry, stay foolish." (Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Address, 2005)
"A hungry man is not a free man." (Adlai Stevenson, Speech, 1952)
"I'm hungry like the wolf." (Duran Duran, "Hungry Like the Wolf", 1982)
"If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive. Don't be hungry for revenge." (Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, 1936)
"There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread." (Mahatma Gandhi, attributed)
"We're hungry for adventure, not just for a meal." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, 1937) - Metaphorical use
"Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" (George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, 1949) - Implied hunger for power
"Man cannot live by bread alone." (Bible, Matthew 4:4) - Implies a hunger for more than just physical sustenance.
"You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win." (Zig Ziglar) - Implies a hunger for success.
"The soul has needs, just like the body. We've been fed so much spiritual junk food that we've become spiritually hungry." (Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now, 2004) - Metaphorical use
Etymology
The word "hungry" has a long and interesting history, tracing its roots back to ancient languages.
In simple terms, "hungry" comes from Old English. The Old English word for the feeling of needing food was "hungrig" or "hungreġ." This word was formed by taking the noun "hungor," which meant "unease or pain caused by lack of food" or even "famine," and adding the "-ig" (which is like our modern "-y") to make it an adjective. So, it literally meant "full of hunger."
If we go even further back, the Old English "hungor" itself came from a common ancestor language called Proto-Germanic, where it was something like "hungraz."
And before that, linguists believe it came from an even older, reconstructed language called Proto-Indo-European (PIE). The PIE root is thought to be something like "kenk-," which meant "to suffer hunger or thirst." This shows that the core idea of experiencing discomfort from a lack of food has been around in language for a very, very long time, across many different cultures.
The first known use and meaning of "hungry" in English, dating back to the Old English period (before 1150 AD), was exactly what you'd expect: describing the state of feeling the physical need for food or being famished. Over time, around the 1200s, the word also started to be used in a more figurative way, to describe a "strong or eager desire" for things other than food, like a "hungry for knowledge" or "hungry for power." But its initial, core meaning was always about the basic biological need for sustenance.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Hungry
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "hungry":
Hungry as a bear: Extremely hungry.
Hungry as a wolf: Extremely hungry, often with an aggressive or predatory implication.
Hungry as a lion: (Similar to bear/wolf, emphasizing power/intensity of hunger).
Hungry for power: Having a strong desire to gain control or influence.
Hungry for success: Eager and determined to achieve success.
Hungry for knowledge: Having an intense desire to learn and acquire information.
To be left hungry: To be unsatisfied or wanting more (can be literal or figurative).
A hungry look: An expression on someone's face that suggests desire or need.
Stomachs are rumbling: A common phrase indicating people are hungry.
Eyes bigger than one's stomach: Wanting more food than one can actually eat. (Uses a related concept to hunger)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of hungry from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
