lust

[luhst]

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

/ lʌst /

noun

1. a strong desire for sexual gratification

2. a strong desire or drive

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unlusting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lust¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lust¹

Old English; related to Old High German lust desire, Old Norse losti sexual desire, Latin lascīvus playful, wanton, lustful. Compare _listless

Example Sentences

Uncovering raw emotions, like loss, lust and jealousy, she’s able to capture their complexities through erratic rhythms, unorthodox mechanics and a trance-like ambiance.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Unmanned and unmoored, they lust for the moment they can return to Vietnam and, with the help of the Americans, renew the battle against the Communists.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The latter, afflicted by “the incurable disease of mediocrity,” has led a disappointing life yet still possesses a lust for it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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.

Read more on Salon

The young couple fall into lust, then love, over beers in a Latin American cowboy bar, Uyghur street food and then in a shabby basement apartment.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• craving 
• desire 
• excitement 
• fervor 
• greed 
• hunger 
• libido 
• longing 
• sensuality 
• thirst