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Synonyms

thirsty

American  
[thur-stee] / ˈθɜr sti /

adjective

thirstier, thirstiest

  1. feeling or having thirst; craving liquid.

  2. needing moisture, as land; parched; dry or arid.

    the thirsty soil.

  3. eagerly desirous; eager.

    thirsty for news.

  4. causing thirst.

    Digging is thirsty work.

  5. Slang.

    1. eager for attention or approval.

      thirsty celebrities.

    2. desperate for affection, sex, or sexual attention.

thirsty British  
/ ˈθɜːstɪ /

adjective

  1. feeling a desire to drink

  2. dry; arid

    the thirsty soil

  3. (foll by for) feeling an eager desire

    thirsty for information

  4. causing thirst

    thirsty work
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of thirsty

First recorded before 950; Middle English thirsti, Old English thyrstig; akin to Dutch dorstig, German durstig, Sanskrit tṛṣita “thirsty,” from the Proto-Indo-European root ters-, tṛs- “dry,” from which Latin terra (from unattested tersa ) “(dry) land” derives

Explanation

When you're thirty, you crave liquids. Thirsty people want a drink. To be thirsty is to feel like you need to drink something. People tend to get more thirsty on very hot days or during exercise, when a lot of their body's fluid is being sweated out. Eating can also make you thirsty, and so can waking up in the morning. The word thirsty comes from the Proto-Indo-European root ters, or "dry."

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Vocabulary lists containing thirsty

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -y

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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.

He says that many of them were thirsty, starving or had rotten feet after journeying into Evros.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

“The market is so, so thirsty for a narrative to hold on to,” Antonelli said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

"I have been moving by foot... my head is severely in pain... we are thirsty."

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

People are thirsty for that kind of authenticity, and to re-evaluate what the American story really is.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

We scroll through a bunch of other videos and sing to them until we’re tired and thirsty.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

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.