as in hunger
suffering or death caused by having nothing to eat or not enough to eat; the condition of someone who is starving
The famine brought mass starvation. Millions of people face starvation every day. They died from starvation.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of starvation
This was the life Flammarion wanted for his fellow Parisians, who had lived through the devastation of the Franco-Prussian war and suffered starvation and deprivation during the Siege of Paris and its aftermath.
—
Matthew Shindell, Space.com, 29 June 2025
This lasted for 80 days, bringing the population to the brink of starvation.
—Max Rodenbeck, Foreign Affairs, 25 June 2025
The camps were rife with disease, and footage of victims after the camps were liberated show walking skeletons, the result of mass starvation.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
Yet this endless orgy of revenge by indiscriminate fire, starvation, and destruction of almost all Gazan property seems sure to produce far more young Palestinians who see no hope or worthwhile purpose for their lives other than to die trying to kill Israelis—or perhaps Americans.
—Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Matthew Shindell, Space.com, 29 June 2025
This lasted for 80 days, bringing the population to the brink of starvation.
—Max Rodenbeck, Foreign Affairs, 25 June 2025
The camps were rife with disease, and footage of victims after the camps were liberated show walking skeletons, the result of mass starvation.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
Yet this endless orgy of revenge by indiscriminate fire, starvation, and destruction of almost all Gazan property seems sure to produce far more young Palestinians who see no hope or worthwhile purpose for their lives other than to die trying to kill Israelis—or perhaps Americans.
—Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starvation
Noun
-
Cafu, on the other hand, will be entering the ring with plenty of confidence and hunger, knowing that an upset win could change his life and put him at the center of the super flyweight spotlight.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
-
At its best, that tempo is driven by shared hunger.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
Many top sponsors dread the prospect of having their name or logo surface alongside images of war, famine or natural disasters.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
23 July 2025
-
Those 1985 multi-artist shows in London and Philadelphia — which raised the equivalent of $450 million in today’s currency for African famine relief and boasted lineups full of legends and icons of the MTV era (U2, Madonna, Duran Duran) — aimed big and worked better than anyone could have expected.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
That brings the total number of deaths from famine and malnutrition since the war began to 101, which includes 80 children, according to the health ministry.—
Morgan Winsor,
ABC News,
22 July 2025
-
Advancing age, severe illness or injury, and malnutrition: It's estimated that people ages 40-80 can lose 30-50% of their muscle mass, which can cause weakness and frail bones.—
Lauren O'Connor,
Health,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Starvation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starvation. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share