as in desire
a strong wish for something
by four o'clock in the afternoon, I usually experience a strong longing for chocolate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pining
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of longing
Barry Levitt, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2025
In the Mood For Love is a classic, and one of the best depictions of longing in film history.
—Janey Tracey, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2025
The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another.
—Erin Keller, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
That performance is particularly poignant, as the song encapsulates the themes of Cuba, memory, and longing.
—Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for longing
Noun
Its score, also by Chomet, is emotive but never overwhelming, and its lack of dialogue creates a rather gorgeous sense of longing.
—Barry Levitt, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2025
In the Mood For Love is a classic, and one of the best depictions of longing in film history.
—Janey Tracey, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2025
The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another.
—Erin Keller, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
That performance is particularly poignant, as the song encapsulates the themes of Cuba, memory, and longing.
—Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for longing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for longing
Noun
-
But Anthony Mirande, a member of the union’s bargaining team, said he was focused on improving labor practices and voiced a desire for better staffing and more training for employees working at the courthouses.—
Jakob Rodgers,
The Mercury News,
19 Feb. 2025
-
On the contrary, these works form a trail of historical and imagined personalities, full of desires and disinclinations that misalign.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
That greater success stems in part from the fact that by engaging the same receptors stimulated by fentanyl and other illicit opioids, buprenorphine (and methadone) can greatly blunt cravings and withdrawal symptoms.—
Moises Velasquez-Manoff,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
-
The main difference between physical hunger and emotional eating is that emotional eating starts in the brain and includes sudden onset feelings of anxiety or sadness, specific cravings, not feeling satisfied even when full, and feelings of guilt after eating.—
Allison Futterman,
Discover Magazine,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Those include a daffy retriever, a headstrong capybara, a covetous lemur and a mysterious bird, as well as glimpses of more fantastical creatures.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
5 Jan. 2025
-
No actor has played him with as much reptilian cruelty and covetous flair as Andrew Scott, either.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
This sort of implicit address to the work’s spectators, and to their unquenchable thirst for more, also crops up in some of the photographer’s graver pictures.—
Naomi Fry,
The New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2025
-
After 14 days isolated below, Collins died of thirst, hunger and hypothermia.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
French startup Flying Whales is on a mission to transform cargo transport with its ambitious Large Capacity Airship 60 Tonne (LCA60T) project.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
24 Feb. 2025
-
The AfD has long rejected diversity, gender equality, inclusion, anti-discrimination and sustainability as film funding criteria – standards that were championed by Green Party culture minister Claudia Roth in her ambitious reform of film funding legislation.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Use silence in meetings—Resist the urge to fill pauses immediately.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
-
That urge told her to cover the painting in a red-purple scumble.—
Adam Moss,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
According to Owens, excellence is impossible for a restless soul.—
Leslie D. Rose,
Parents,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Jeanne is 15, a restless adolescent among a tribe of younger children in an orphanage in the mountains where she is first seen wandering at dusk, her way lit by the snow’s reflective glitter.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Eating enough protein at breakfast or any meal can help control your hunger and reduce your overall calorie intake.5 High-protein breakfast options include eggs, Greek yogurt, whole grains like oats, and high-protein waffles or pancakes.—
Johna Burdeos,
Health,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Across our nation, supporters not only celebrate the program, but help secure funding, while raising awareness of senior hunger, food insecurities, and malnutrition among our elderly.—
Wendy Coschignano-Ford,
Orlando Sentinel,
23 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Longing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/longing. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share