craving

[krey-ving]

noun

1. great or eager desire; yearning.

craving

/ ˈkreɪvɪŋ /

noun

1. an intense desire or longing

Other Word Forms

• cravingly adverb
• cravingness noun
• uncraving adjective
• uncravingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of craving¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; crave, -ing ¹

Synonym Study

See desire.

Example Sentences

“It looks like a soufflé that has begun to deflate. Oh, now I am desperately craving a soufflé for lunch! I know we just had breakfast, but I am eating for two, after all.”

Read more on Literature

Mr. Gottlieb astutely observes that although Wittgenstein bemoaned the philosophical “craving for generality,” he was prone to making broad characterizations himself.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I’ll base entire trips off a craving for a specific flavor or dish that pops up in my dreams, leaving my stomach growling in the morning.

Read more on Salon

America’s craving for ways to take the pressure off Thanksgiving prep has never been stronger—or so well served.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For all the times that feeding yourself feels like trudging through a fog of obligation, sometimes a craving arrives fully formed, as if it’s been plotting in the background.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• appetite 
• hankering 
• hunger 
• itch 
• longing 
• lust 
• passion 
• thirst 
• yearning