Word
insatiable
Phoneticsin·sa·tiable
US/ˌɪnˈseɪʃəbəɫ/
UK/ɪnsˈeɪʃɪəbəl/
Definition
adj. having a desire or need that is so great it can never be satisfied, no matter how much you get.
adj. incapable of being satiated or appeased; typically applied to abstract desires like curiosity, greed, or ambition.
Examples
“The young child has an insatiable curiosity about nature.”
“Despite his massive wealth, the businessman had an insatiable appetite for power and continued to buy smaller companies.”
“The public's insatiable demand for celebrity gossip has fueled the rise of invasive tabloid journalism and the constant presence of paparazzi in major cities.”
Examples
simple
“The young child has an insatiable curiosity about nature.”
contextual
“Despite his massive wealth, the businessman had an insatiable appetite for power and continued to buy smaller companies.”
complex
“The public's insatiable demand for celebrity gossip has fueled the rise of invasive tabloid journalism and the constant presence of paparazzi in major cities.”
Usage
Commonly used to modify abstract nouns such as 'appetite', 'curiosity', 'desire', or 'greed'.
Teaching tip
While it can describe physical hunger, it is most frequently used metaphorically for mental or emotional drives.
Real-World Examples
“The country's rapidly growing middle class had plenty of money and a seemingly insatiable appetite for cars, including the most profitable upmarket models.” “Alex’s intellect was prodigious and his thirst for knowledge and skills insatiable and wide-ranging.” Etymology
Inherited from Middle English insaciable, from Middle French insatiable, from Old French insaciable, from Late Latin insatiabilis. by surface analysis, in- + satiable.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/insatiable