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:
Curtis said that Hegseth's plan "risks feeding that appetite" and urged him to reconsider.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The move may be another sign that investor appetite for fresh exposure to fast-growing companies could be waning amid surging bond yields, global interest-rate rises, and broader macroeconomic uncertainty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
During an interview with MarketWatch, Mayfield said investors in the ultrashort bond space have “a risk appetite similar to what a cash investor’s would be, but they do want additional yield.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
"But now 2010s throwbacks coupled with a modern twist are seeing huge appetite across the market," says Russell.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I’d hoped that their appetite would be sated by now, that my people could return...”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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
This has been a crucial restraint on political spending appetites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 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
The resounding success of the Curagao experiment whetted the appetites of Florida livestock raisers for a similar feat that would relieve them of the scourge of screw-worms.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
