1
as in hungry
feeling a desire or need for food
after a full day of skiing, I was feeling absolutely famished
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2
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
a group of local citizens working to ease the plight of the famished families in their community
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Recent Examples of famished
On the outskirts of Wollongong, waking at dawn from its 20-hour nap, a famished, branch-hugging koala stretched its claw skyward for a fat, juicy green eucalyptus leaf.
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Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2024
Yang discovers that among famished Chinese in extremis, cannibalism was more widespread than previously known.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2013
Her eyes, so Mesopotamian, now overwhelmed her famished face.
—Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
After marathon talks that saw Cameron and his team sustain themselves on 23 bags of Haribo gummy sweets and a famished German Chancellor Angela Merkel forced to pop around the corner for some Belgian Frites with mayonnaise, the United Kingdom and its European partners finally reached an agreement.
—R. Daniel Kelemen, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2016
See all Example Sentences for famished 
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2024
Yang discovers that among famished Chinese in extremis, cannibalism was more widespread than previously known.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2013
Her eyes, so Mesopotamian, now overwhelmed her famished face.
—Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
After marathon talks that saw Cameron and his team sustain themselves on 23 bags of Haribo gummy sweets and a famished German Chancellor Angela Merkel forced to pop around the corner for some Belgian Frites with mayonnaise, the United Kingdom and its European partners finally reached an agreement.
—R. Daniel Kelemen, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2016
See all Example Sentences for famished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famished
Adjective
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Mills asked that Neely's death have meaning, and urged that others, instead of becoming physical with someone who may be hungry, offer them food.Janelle Griffith, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024
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Sometimes there’s live music, and the specials change daily, but there’s always a crowd of rosy-nosed cross-country skiers, fresh off the trails and hungry, clustered in a handful of tables in the middle of the gear and rental shop.Graham Averill, Outside Online, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In Delhi, impoverished kids are learning to love reading and math, thanks to a police officer’s makeshift school.Shefali Rafiq, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024
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Assad’s fall ends more than six decades of Baath Party rule that sought to center Syria as a leader in the Arab world, but instead left it corruption-riddled and impoverished.Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In many poor and densely populated neighborhoods across the country, people have access to free, unmetered electricity.Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
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Baby is a poor sleeper, so the mother has to tend to him day and night while also running the household.Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The movie’s protagonist, Frida (Naomi Ackie), is a broke cater waiter and nail artist who sneaks into the VIP section of an event she’s been working, only to trip on her heels and fall flat on her face.Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
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Cuban himself ran side hustles, got fired from multiple jobs and nearly went broke on his path to becoming a billionaire.Megan Sauer, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near famished
Cite this Entry
“Famished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famished. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
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