quenchless

[ kwench-lis ]

adjective

1. not capable of being quenched; unquenchable.

Other Words From

• quenchless·ly adverb
• quenchless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of quenchless¹

First recorded in 1550–60; quench + -less

Example Sentences

Thanks to his enemies’ heedlessness, the world suffered one last Napoleonic assault — the battle of Waterloo, where 50,000 soldiers were killed or wounded, a high price to pay for underestimating one man’s quenchless ambition.

From Seattle Times

Probably Longfellow came closest, noting that lighthouses are “steadfast, serene … a quenchless flame.”

From Los Angeles Times

As she went farther and farther back in time, she spoke of the old slave ships, and the horror of the Middle Passage, retelling the stories she had heard as a child, stories of whips and chains and branding irons, of a quenchless thirst, and the black smell of death in the hold of a Yankee slaver.

From Literature

Though the quenchless quality of his literary thirst had soon depleted the shelves of the prison library, the prison chaplain and others sympathetic to Andrews kept him supplied with parcels from the Kansas City public library.

From Literature

They came shortly after he arrived at Chapel Hill, a hot prospect who joined one of the nation’s celebrated teams and soon discovered a quenchless taste for alcohol, partying, life in excess.

From New York Times

Related Words

• insistent
• rapacious
• ravenous
• urgent