thirst means A sensation of dryness in the throat associated with a craving for liquids, produced by deprivation of drink, or by some other cause (such as fear, excitement, etc.) which stops the secretion of the pharyngeal mucous membrane. It carries an Arena rating of 1540, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, thirst ranks #62 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words, #356 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #1,298 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words, #2,485 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
thirst is pronounced /θɜːst/.
Why “thirst” is a great word
A physical craving for drink, born of a dry mouth and throat, or its potent metaphorical extension: any vehement, consuming desire. From Middle English *thirst*, *thurst*, from Old English *þurst*, *þyrst*, from Proto-Germanic *þurstuz*, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ters-* ("dry"). Unlike "craving," a broad and generic hunger for anything from sugar to novelty, or "longing," with its wistful, sentimental ache, thirst is anchored in the body's primal emergency—a need so urgent it colonizes the mind. It is the parched crack of a desert wind, the frantic scrape of a dry tongue against the palate, the obsessive scanning of the horizon for a mirage that must become water—a fundamental recognition that even the soul, in its desert moments, cannot survive on air alone.
noun
- A sensation of dryness in the throat associated with a craving for liquids, produced by deprivation of drink, or by some other cause (such as fear, excitement, etc.) which stops the secretion of the pharyngeal mucous membrane.e.g.“We developed a great thirst during our hike.”
- The condition producing the sensation of thirst.e.g.“If you go out in the desert for long without water, the thirst can drive you mad.”
- A want and eager desire (for something); a craving or longing.e.g.“She had a real thirst for news and that greatly helped her career.”
- Sexual lust.e.g.“He had a thirst for her and she had the same for him.”
verb
- To be thirsty.e.g.“The people thirsted there for water.”
- To desire vehemently.e.g.“I thirst for knowledge and education will sate me.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.