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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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.
—
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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New York got an L&L in 2004 and lost it again about a decade later; in the years since, a hungry person in this town wanting plate-lunch flavors had few options.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2025
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The Food for Peace program allows farmers to sell their crops to the government which then distributes the food to feed the hungry abroad.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Numerous aid workers in northern Thailand described widespread panic and confusion following the sudden suspension of aid, especially among those whose work provides life-saving services to some of the world’s most vulnerable and impoverished people on both sides of the border.—
Ivan Watson,
CNN,
11 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, the sight of an unelected billionaire dismantling an agency that was set up to help the impoverished is already undermining faith in U.S. democracy.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Cosgrove, a rookie revelation in 2023, is looking to bounce back after a poor 2024 season.—
Dennis Lin,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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But shortly after its release, AT&T dropped the device’s price down to just $0.99 in what was an unmistakable sign of poor sales – and perhaps an indication that consumers didn’t want more Facebook on their phone other than in its app.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Show creator Natasha Rothwell plays Mel, a broke JFK airport employee who has never been in love.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2025
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They are divided between those who want to travel and leave everything behind, and those who wish to travel but are too broke to do so and those who are already in Egypt and want to return, and those who will return to their homes no matter the conditions.—
Amal Murtaja,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near famished
Cite this Entry
“Famished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famished. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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