starvation

[stahr-vey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or state of starving; condition of being starved.

adjective

1. liable or seeming to cause starving.

   a starvation diet.

Word History and Origins

Origin of starvation¹

First recorded in 1770–80; starve + -ation

Example Sentences

Crop failures and overpopulation are no longer the main reasons for mass starvation — war and totalitarianism are far more responsible.

Read more on Salon

The remaining nine hundred were thrown into the sea, where most of them eventually died from dehydration, starvation, salt poisoning, and shark attacks.

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With a sudden end to foreign exchange earnings, Venezuelan GDP went into the kind of free fall you rarely see outside war, setting off a humanitarian crisis that brought millions to the brink of starvation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Their 18-month siege blocked humanitarian aid despite repeated UN appeals, causing starvation among residents unable to flee.

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Some may have already died from starvation, Arab officials say, as food supplies have dwindled.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• deprivation 
• famine 
• malnutrition