desire - Definition | Dictionary definition of desire

Definition of desire

Nouns

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

Types:: show 33 types...; hide 33 types...; ambition, aspiration, dream
a cherished desire; American Dream
the widespread aspiration of Americans to live better than their parents did; emulation
ambition to equal or excel; nationalism
the aspiration for national independence felt by people under foreign domination; bloodlust
a desire for bloodshed; temptation
the desire to have or do something that you know you should avoid; craving
an intense desire for some particular thing; appetence, appetency, appetite
a feeling of craving something; addiction
an abnormally strong craving; want, wish, wishing
a specific feeling of desire; velleity
a mere wish, unaccompanied by effort to obtain; hungriness, longing, yearning
prolonged unfulfilled desire or need; hankering, yen
a yearning for something or to do something; pining
a feeling of deep longing; wishfulness
an unrealistic yearning; wistfulness
a sadly pensive longing; nostalgia
longing for something past; discontent, discontentedness, discontentment
a longing for something better than the present situation; concupiscence, eros, physical attraction, sexual desire
a desire for sexual intimacy; erotic love, love, sexual love
a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction; aphrodisia
a desire for heterosexual intimacy; anaphrodisia
decline or absence of sexual desire; passion
a feeling of strong sexual desire; sensualism, sensuality, sensualness
desire for sensual pleasures; amativeness, amorousness, eroticism, erotism, sexiness
the arousal of feelings of sexual desire; fetish
a form of sexual desire in which gratification depends to an abnormal degree on some object or item of clothing or part of the body; libido
(psychoanalysis) a Freudian term for sexual urge or desire; lecherousness, lust, lustfulness
a strong sexual desire; nymphomania
abnormally intense sexual desire in women; satyriasis
abnormally intense sexual desire in men; the hots
intense sexual desire; itch, urge
a strong restless desire; caprice, impulse, whim
a sudden desire

Type of:: feeling
the experiencing of affective and emotional states

an inclination to want things

"a man of many desires"

Types:: show 5 types...; hide 5 types...; hunger, hungriness, thirst, thirstiness
strong desire for something (not food or drink); greed
excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves; avarice, avariciousness, covetousness, cupidity
extreme greed for material wealth; possessiveness
excessive desire to possess or dominate; acquisitiveness
strong desire to acquire and possess

Type of:: inclination, tendency
a characteristic likelihood of or natural disposition toward a certain condition or character or effect

something that is desired

Types:: passion, rage
something that is desired intensely; materialism, philistinism
a desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters

Type of:: arousal
a state of heightened physiological activity

Verbs

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

Synonyms:: want

Types:: show 22 types...; hide 22 types...; crave, hunger, lust, starve, thirst
have a craving, appetite, or great desire for; fancy, go for, take to
have a fancy or particular liking or desire for; miss
feel or suffer from the lack of; regret
feel sad about the loss or absence of; hope
be optimistic; be full of hope; have hopes; wish
hope for; have a wish; desire, hope, trust
expect and wish; wish, wish well
feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of; care, like, wish
prefer or wish to do something; please
be the will of or have the will (to); itch, spoil
have a strong desire or urge to do something; like
want to have; ambition
have as one's ambition; feel like
have an inclination for something or some activity; begrudge, envy
be envious of; set one's heart on; covet
wish, long, or crave for (something, especially the property of another person); lech after, lust after
have a strong sexual desire for; hanker, long, yearn
desire strongly or persistently; ache, languish, pine, yearn, yen
have a desire for something or someone who is not present; seek
try to get or reach; bid
make a serious effort to attain something; quest
make a search (for)