appetite
Americannoun
-
appetites
plural
-
a desire for food or drink.
I have no appetite for lunch today.
- Antonyms:
- satiety
-
a desire to satisfy any bodily need or craving.
- Synonyms:
- wish, inclination, hunger, longing
- Antonyms:
- satiety
-
a desire or liking for something; fondness; taste.
an appetite for power; an appetite for pleasure.
- Antonyms:
- satiety
noun
-
a desire for food or drink
-
a desire to satisfy a bodily craving, as for sexual pleasure
-
(usually foll by for) a desire, liking, or willingness
a great appetite for work
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of appetite
1275–1325; Middle English appetit (< Anglo-French ) < Latin appetītus natural desire, equivalent to appetī- (variant stem of appetere; see appetence) + -tus suffix of v. action
Explanation
If you've filled your plate three times, you must have a strong appetite. I hope you still have room for dessert. The Latin word appetitus, meaning "desire for," is the root for appetite. If you have worked up an appetite, you have a desire for food. If you've lost your appetite, you're not hungry at all (maybe because something upset you). You can have an appetite for things other than food. Perhaps you have an appetite for power, or funny movies, or for little silver shoes with buttons on them.
Vocabulary lists containing appetite
Eat Your Words
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Nutrition - Introductory
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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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.
See Examples For:
Individual investors have also shown a greater appetite for risk in recent years, piling into products such as exchange-traded funds that can amplify gains and losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Little wonder perhaps that by that point, almost irrespective of someone's views on the topic, there was an appetite to talk about something else.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
These medications act on a hormone signaling system that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite, making them effective tools for improving metabolic health and supporting weight loss.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Investors have been expressing concerns that generational highs in longer-term interest rates and sky-high prices at the pump have curtailed companies’ and consumers’ appetite for taking on new debt, which means less business for banks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026
Aunt Rosa would force Leo to stay for a picnic, as if hanging out with dead people were good for his appetite.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Hamilton's position on the front row revives memories of their bitter title battle in 2021, when the seven-time champion was at Mercedes, and whets appetites for the grand prix on Sunday.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
It will be a reminder of what food media can offer when it chooses to nourish more than our appetites.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Rollin’s business has helped treat people with eating disorders who’ve obtained GLP-1 medications to suppress their appetites, as well as those who were triggered into disordered eating while taking the drugs for approved conditions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
"It was a conflicted time because I thought I'm not like those women so where do I go to find something that fits with what I feel about life and the appetites I have."
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
Fleas with good appetites Somersaulting high, Fleas leading chases Running races on my thigh.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
