starvation

American  

[stahr-vey-shuhn] / stɑrˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

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

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adjective

1. liable or seeming to cause starving.

   a starvation diet.

starvation British  

/ stɑːˈveɪʃən /

noun

1. 1. the act or an instance of starving or state of being starved

   2. ( as modifier )

      a starvation diet

      starvation wages

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Etymology

Origin of starvation

First recorded in 1770–80; starve + -ation

Explanation

Starvation is what happens if you don’t eat for days or weeks and your body starts to shut down. Extreme poverty, drought and other dire circumstances can contribute to starvation. Starvation can be the result of war or famine, leading to the deaths of large numbers of people. Any organism that depends on food for energy is at risk of starvation when there isn't enough to eat. Starvation is thought by some to have entered the language in 1775 during the American Revolution, when a member of the British Parliament suggested starvation as a way to make the American rebels submit.

Example Sentences

I know of no other document that describes so vividly not only starvation, bombardment, arrests, surveillance and crowding, but also the stench and disgust of daily life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

"In many places, groundwater extraction, sediment starvation, and rapid urbanization are causing land to sink much faster than previously recognized," Ohenhen said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026

The cars' energy starvation has changed the nature of driving.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

Between 1846 and 1851, more than a million Irish people died from starvation or disease.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

Without valuables of our own, my family's only hope to fend off starvation was work, since work meant food, maybe soup at lunchtime and sometimes a small chunk of bread to take home.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Related Words

• deprivation
• famine
• malnutrition