appetite

noun

ap·​pe·​tite ˈa-pə-ˌtīt How to pronounce appetite (audio)
Synonyms of appetite
1
: any of the instinctive desires necessary to keep up organic life
especially : the desire to eat
He has a hearty appetite.
2
a
: an inherent craving
an insatiable appetite for work
b
: taste, preference
… the cultural appetites of the time …—J. D. Hart
appetitive
ˈa-pə-ˌtī-tiv How to pronounce appetite (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of appetite

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Examples of appetite in a Sentence

He has a healthy appetite. Some common symptoms are tiredness, nausea, and loss of appetite. I had no appetite and couldn't sleep.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The Pentagon’s appetite for startups and emerging tech is growing, and investors are pouncing. — Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Symptoms of a salmonella infection may include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, headache, nausea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite, according to the CDC. — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Kikuko, her appetite sluggish, nibbled the bread bit by bit from the edges, all the while furtively watching her father. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 Google signed a gigantic infrastructure deal to supply Anthropic with cutting-edge chips as the industry explores new financing paradigms to meet the AI industry's insatiable appetite for compute power. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for appetite

Word History

Etymology

Middle English appetit, appetite "inherent drive or urge (in physiology), desire for food or drink, longing," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French appetit, apetite (also continental Old French apetit), borrowed from Latin appetītus "natural or instinctive desire," from appetī-, variant stem of appetere "to try to reach, have a natural desire for, seek to obtain, strive after" (from ap- ap- + petere "to direct one's course to, seek to obtain") + -tu-, -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at feather entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of appetite was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing appetite

Rhymes for appetite

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Browse Nearby Words

appetiser
appetite
appetitious
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Appetite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appetite. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

appetite

noun
ap·​pe·​tite ˈap-ə-ˌtīt How to pronounce appetite (audio)
1
: a natural desire especially for food
2
: taste entry 2 sense 4
an appetite for adventure

Medical Definition

appetite

noun
ap·​pe·​tite ˈap-ə-ˌtīt How to pronounce appetite (audio)
: any of the instinctive desires necessary to keep up organic life
especially : the desire to eat
appetitive
-ˌtīt-iv How to pronounce appetite (audio)
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on appetite

Nglish: Translation of appetite for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about appetite

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