Hunger Is a Signal, Not a Measure of Need
Hunger is the sensation of needing food. Hormones drive it, and the feeling can be poorly matched to the body's actual requirement.
Hunger is the physical sensation of needing food. It is a hormonal signal rather than a direct readout of need: ghrelin from the stomach stimulates appetite, and leptin from fat cells suppresses it. The two operate on different timescales, which is why hunger can arrive on schedule regardless of what the body actually requires.
- The need for food. *Weak with hunger.*
- A strong desire. *A hunger for success.*
- Hunger strike — refusing food in protest. *On hunger strike.*
- Hungry — feeling hunger. *Genuinely hungry.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | hunger | Acute hunger. |
| Verb | hunger | Hunger for change. |
| Adjective | hungry | Extremely hungry. |
| Adverb | hungrily | Ate hungrily. |
| Related | famine | Widespread famine. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Hunger is driven by hormones.Ghrelin and leptin.
- A hunger for recognition.Figurative.
- Hangry blends hungry and angry.A twenty-first-century coinage now in dictionaries.
Hunger and appetite
- Hunger — the physiological need signal
- Appetite — the desire to eat, which can exist without hunger
- Ghrelin — the hormone that stimulates hunger
- Leptin — the hormone signalling energy stores are adequate
- Satiety — the feeling of having eaten enough
From Old English *hungor*, of Germanic origin, related to German *Hunger* and Dutch *honger*.
Hunger or appetite?
Hunger is the body's need signal. Appetite is the desire to eat, which can be triggered by smell, habit or emotion.
Is *hangry* a real word?
Yes. It blends hungry and angry, and has been recorded in major dictionaries since the 2010s.