appetite

[ ap-i-tahyt ]

noun

1. a desire for food or drink:

   I have no appetite for lunch today.

   Synonyms: thirst, hunger, longing

   Antonyms: satiety

2. a desire to satisfy any bodily need or craving.

   Synonyms: wish, inclination, hunger, longing

   Antonyms: satiety

3. a desire or liking for something; fondness; taste:

   an appetite for power; an appetite for pleasure.

   Synonyms: zest, gusto, relish, thirst, hunger, longing

   Antonyms: satiety

appetite

/ əˈpɛtɪtɪv; ˈæpɪˌtaɪtɪv; ˈæpɪˌtaɪt /

noun

1. a desire for food or drink
2. a desire to satisfy a bodily craving, as for sexual pleasure
3. usually foll by for a desire, liking, or willingness

   a great appetite for work

Derived Forms

• appetitive, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of appetite¹

1275–1325; Middle English appetit (< Anglo-French ) < Latin appetītus natural desire, equivalent to appetī- (variant stem of appetere; appetence ) + -tus suffix of v. action

Word History and Origins

Origin of appetite¹

C14: from Old French apetit, from Latin appetītus a craving, from appetere to desire ardently

Idioms and Phrases

see whet one's appetite

Example Sentences

“We go overboard because we haven’t learned how to temperate our appetite for memory.”

From Slate

Ozempic, which suppresses appetite, has become popular in the US in recent years and its use has been increasing in the UK.

From BBC

The band’s 1987 debut, “Appetite for Destruction,” remains an album inextricably linked with Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s all there on ‘Appetite,’” McKagan says.

From Los Angeles Times

We’ll find out Wednesday how many Republican senators share that appetite.

From Slate

Related Words

• craving
• demand
• fondness
• greed
• hunger
• inclination
• longing
• lust
• passion
• penchant
• propensity
• stomach
• taste
• thirst
• weakness
• willingness
• yearning
• zeal
• zest