wanderlust
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of wanderlust
First recorded in 1850–55; from German, from wander(n) “to wander” ( see wander) + Lust “desire” ( see lust)
Explanation
A strong desire to travel is called wanderlust. If you dream of backpacking through Europe and then taking a quick spin through southeast Asia, you have wanderlust. The Germans call the strong urge for travel wanderlust, literally a desire for wandering. We loved the German efficiency of the word so much we annexed it for our own language. With a word like lust inside it, wanderlust really captures the dreamy passion travelers all share. Sometimes the word is also used for people who can't make a commitment to a job or a relationship.
Vocabulary lists containing wanderlust
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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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.
The next month, the four of us met up for another jazz club and wandered again to Wanderlust.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025
Wanderlust is all but an addiction, and travelers are hitting the road whether it’s good for their bank account or not.
From Salon • Nov. 27, 2024
The West Highland Line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine, Wanderlust, in 2009.
From BBC • Nov. 6, 2023
They took a crash course in opening and operating an independent bookstore, interviewed booksellers across the Greater Seattle area and 14 months ago, they opened the Wanderlust Book Lounge near downtown Bothell.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2023
The Wonderlust—probably it's a worse affliction than the Wanderlust.
From Main Street by Lewis, Sinclair
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.
