thirsty

[ thur-stee ]
See synonyms for thirsty on Thesaurus.com
adjective,thirst·i·er, thirst·i·est.
  1. feeling or having thirst; craving liquid.

  2. needing moisture, as land; parched; dry or arid: the thirsty soil.

  1. eagerly desirous; eager: thirsty for news.

  2. causing thirst: Digging is thirsty work.

  3. Slang.

    • eager for attention or approval: thirsty celebrities.

    • desperate for affection, sex, or sexual attention.

Origin of thirsty

1
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

Other words from thirsty

  • thirst·i·ly, adverb
  • thirst·i·ness, noun
  • non·thirst·y, adjective
  • un·thirst·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use thirsty in a sentence

  • The only other halt made was at the crossing of the first water, a clear, swift brook, where both horses and men drank thirstily.

  • "That waiter gets around like a Langley flying machine," remarked the man from Topaz City, thirstily.

    Sixes and Sevens | O. Henry
  • Eloise succeeded in choking down a few morsels, but drank thirstily.

    The Devil's Own | Randall Parrish
  • Strolling ruminantly on the promenade at Nice, Caryll's heart turned thirstily toward the giver of oblivion.

    The Tigress | Anne Warner
  • He took her hand—both hands—in his and gazed thirstily into her eyes—a serene violet-blue.

    The Tigress | Anne Warner

British Dictionary definitions for thirsty

thirsty

/ (ˈθɜːstɪ) /


adjectivethirstier or thirstiest
  1. feeling a desire to drink

  2. dry; arid: the thirsty soil

  1. (foll by for) feeling an eager desire: thirsty for information

  2. causing thirst: thirsty work

Derived forms of thirsty

  • thirstily, adverb
  • thirstiness, noun

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