hungry
- 01 A1 Beginner
feeling that you want or need to eat food.
feeling or displaying the physiological need for food.
Simple“The children were very hungry after playing outside all afternoon.”
In context“By the time the delayed flight finally landed, the passengers were visibly hungry and frustrated with the lack of service.”
UsageCommonly follows the verb 'to be' or 'to feel'.
PitfallI have hungry. I am hungry.In English, hunger is a state described with 'to be', not a possession with 'to have'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
having a strong desire for something, like success or power.
having a strong or eager desire; showing ambition or a craving for something non-physical.
Simple“The young athlete is hungry for a gold medal this year.”
In context“The company is looking for hungry new graduates who are willing to work hard to climb the corporate ladder.”
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'for'.
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
describing land that is not good for growing plants because it lacks nutrients.
referring to soil or land that is infertile, poor in nutrients, or unproductive.
Simple“The farmers struggled to grow crops in the hungry, stony soil.”
In context“The landscape was dominated by hungry moorland that offered little sustenance for the local livestock.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is rare in modern conversation; it is mostly found in older literature or specific agricultural contexts.
Synonyms
From Middle English hungry, from Old English hungriġ, from Proto-West Germanic hungrug, from Proto-Germanic hungrugaz (“hungry”); equivalent to hunger + -y. Cognate with West Frisian hongerich (“hungry”), Dutch hongerig (“hungry”), German hungrig (“hungry”), Swedish hungrig (“hungry”), Icelandic hungraður (“hungry”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.