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Synonyms

lust

American  
[luhst] / lʌst /

noun

  1. intense sexual desire or appetite.

  2. uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite; lecherousness.

  3. a passionate or overmastering desire or craving (usually followed byfor ).

    a lust for power.

  4. ardent enthusiasm; zest; relish.

    an enviable lust for life.

  5. Obsolete.

    1. pleasure or delight.

    2. desire; inclination; wish.

verb (used without object)

  1. to have intense sexual desire.

  2. to have a yearning or desire; have a strong or excessive craving (often followed by for orafter ).

    Synonyms:
    yearn, covet, hunger, crave
lust British  
/ lʌst /

noun

  1. a strong desire for sexual gratification

  2. a strong desire or drive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr; often foll by after or for) to have a lust (for)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unlusting adjective

Etymology

Origin of lust

First recorded before 900; Middle English luste, Old English lust; cognate with Dutch, German Lust “pleasure, desire”; akin to Old Norse lyst “desire”; list 4

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The lust for vengeance eventually gets the better of him, but Swenson leads us step by step to depravity through sorrow, injustice and humiliation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

The irony, which Mr. Crow misses, is that Marat, with his lists of enemies and scapegoats and his lust for punishment, was the ancestor of the modern totalitarians.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

Macclesfield described McLeod as having a "lust for life" and an "unwavering work ethic", which was an inspiration to those around him.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

A taste for romance and lust for life and all of its many mysteries remain at the forefront of Anderson’s work, no matter its setting.

From Salon • Sep. 28, 2025

On the surface of it, Poppea is about lust and ambition conquering all, with poor old virtue, decency and good governance being jettisoned in the process.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.