Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Feeling a strong desire or craving for something; eager: The word "athirst" describes a state of intense longing or yearning, typically for something abstract like knowledge, success, or experience. It is a somewhat literary or formal synonym for "eager" or "thirsty" in a figurative sense.
   • Archaic: Feeling a need to drink; physically thirsty: In older or poetic usage, "athirst" can literally mean needing to drink water.

Usage

• "Athirst" is primarily used predicatively (after a linking verb like , , ) and is almost always followed by the preposition "for" to indicate the object of the desire.
• It is a formal, literary, or somewhat archaic word. In everyday modern English, words like "eager," "thirsty," "hungry," or "longing" are more common.

Examples

• The young scholars were athirst for new discoveries. (The young scholars had a strong desire for new discoveries.)
• After reading the first book, she was athirst for the rest of the series. (She was eager to read the rest of the series.)
• : The travelers, weary and athirst, searched for a stream. (The travelers, tired and thirsty, searched for a stream.)

Advanced Usage

• "To be athirst after": An older variant using "after" instead of "for," with the same meaning.
  • He was athirst after truth and justice. (He had a deep craving for truth and justice.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thirsty (adj): The most common modern equivalent. It can be used literally (for drink) or figuratively (for success, knowledge).
• Hungry (adj): Often used figuratively in a similar way (e.g., hungry for power).
• Eager (adj): A general synonym for keenly desirous.
• Yearning (adj/n): A deep, persistent longing.
• Craving (n): A powerful desire for something.

Synonyms

• Eager
• Keen
• Longing
• Desirous
• Avid

Notes on Meaning

The core meaning of "athirst" is a powerful, sometimes restless, desire. While its archaic literal meaning exists, its primary contemporary use is figurative, emphasizing a mental or spiritual craving rather than a physical one.

Adjective

1. (usually followed by `for') extremely desirous
   • athirst for knowledge
   • hungry for recognition
   • thirsty for informaton