Synonyms

starvation

American

[stahr-vey-shuhn] / stɑrˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

the act or state of starving; condition of being starved.

adjective

liable or seeming to cause starving.

a starvation diet.

Etymology

Origin of starvation

First recorded in 1770–80; starve + -ation

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.

She says that studies in mice have shown that starvation enhances the animal’s tolerance to chemotherapy doses but can’t cure the disease outright.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

Unless ocean temperatures return to more tolerable levels, bleached corals are unable to recover and eventually die of starvation.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

Between 1846 and 1851, more than a million Irish people died from starvation or disease.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

“The old protein guidelines were designed to prevent starvation and withering away,” said Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

They had been dying of disease and starvation, and the few goats they kept had been dying as well.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023