Synonyms for
Starvation
Definition
the state of being extremely hungry, often to the point of illness or death
Synonyms & similar words
Synonyms by register
Formal
Informal
Literary
Antonyms
Common collocations
- severe starvation
- prolonged starvation
- starvation diet
- starvation wages
- starvation mode
- risk of starvation
- prevent starvation
Word family
Usage note
Starvation refers to the state of suffering or dying due to lack of food. While 'starving' is often used informally to mean very hungry, 'starvation' specifically denotes a severe and prolonged lack of sustenance.
Example sentences
- The young girl suffered from starvation because she didn't have enough food to eat.
- The famine in the country caused many people to experience starvation.
- The organization handed out food to help prevent starvation in the region.
- The doctor said that the man's symptoms were caused by severe starvation.
- The animals in the zoo were at risk of starvation when the zookeepers went on strike.
Quotes
'Starvation is the most democratic thing in the world. Everybody's poor and hungry in a famine.' - P. J. O'Rourke
'When a man is starving in the streets he is not thinking of bread and water, but of caviar and champagne.' - Anton Chekhov
'We have a hunger of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us, and the more we gain, the more is our desire; the more we see, the more we are capable of seeing.' - Maria Mitchell