famished

American  

[fam-isht] / ˈfæm ɪʃt /

adjective

1. extremely hungry: famished multitudes in the immediate postwar period.

   to be famished after a hike;

   famished multitudes in the immediate postwar period.

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Synonym Usage

See hungry.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-famished
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of famished

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English; famish + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Did you just order a double cheeseburger with large fries and a liter-sized milkshake? Either you have a death wish or you're extremely hungry — famished that is. Tracing the roots of famished leads us to the Middle English word for "starve." So it's no wonder famished means absolutely starving or totally ravenous. Just think of all those poor famished people in the Middle Ages, with only porridge and vegetables to eat and not a fast food chain in sight. It's enough to make you cry...or reach for another french fry — depending on how famished you are.

Example Sentences

Famished for color, he clocks one source’s guitar collection as if he were Room Rater and watches as another’s child runs by in a Harry Potter costume.

From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2022

And during the event, BBC writer and broadcaster Samira Ahmed interviewed Stuart along with poet and novelist Ben Okri, the 1991 Booker Prize winner for “The Famished Road.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2021

Okri, who won the prestigious Booker Prize in 1991 for “The Famished Road,” beat finalists including this year’s Booker winner, Richard Flanagan; Japanese literary star Haruki Murakami; and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Cunningham.

From Washington Times • Dec. 3, 2014

Shortly after I had decided I wanted to be a writer, I discovered two books that changed my life: Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient and Ben Okri’s The Famished Road.

From The Guardian • Oct. 14, 2014

Famished but with no prospect of food, in a cramped room filled with strangers, mercifully, I quickly sank into the oblivion of sleep.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson