appetite
Americannoun
-
a desire for food or drink.
I have no appetite for lunch today.
- Antonyms:
- satiety
-
a desire to satisfy any bodily need or craving.
- Synonyms:
- wish, inclination, hunger, longing
- Antonyms:
- satiety
-
a desire or liking for something; fondness; taste.
an appetite for power; an appetite for pleasure.
- Antonyms:
- satiety
noun
-
a desire for food or drink
-
a desire to satisfy a bodily craving, as for sexual pleasure
-
(usually foll by for) a desire, liking, or willingness
a great appetite for work
Other Word Forms
- appetitive adjective
Etymology
Origin of appetite
1275–1325; Middle English appetit (< Anglo-French ) < Latin appetītus natural desire, equivalent to appetī- (variant stem of appetere; appetence ) + -tus suffix of v. action
Explanation
If you've filled your plate three times, you must have a strong appetite. I hope you still have room for dessert. The Latin word appetitus, meaning "desire for," is the root for appetite. If you have worked up an appetite, you have a desire for food. If you've lost your appetite, you're not hungry at all (maybe because something upset you). You can have an appetite for things other than food. Perhaps you have an appetite for power, or funny movies, or for little silver shoes with buttons on them.
Vocabulary lists containing appetite
Eat Your Words
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Nutrition - Introductory
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the singer says she learned to keep up with fans’ appetite by serving them a varied musical diet.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
Asian equities rose while oil fell on Tuesday amid hopes for further U.S.-Iran peace talks, spurring appetite for risky assets and easing concerns over crude supply disruptions in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Against that backdrop, the Fed has held interest rates steady at its last two meetings, and officials have signaled little appetite to cut.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
That demand, he suggested, is less about specific cultural moments - such as space missions or science-fiction references - and more about a general appetite for unfamiliarity and escape.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Around the time PJ. entered high school, the Warden’s appetite for more adventure took him to another auction.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
