longing

Pronunciation: /ˈlɔːŋɪŋ/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
  2. verb desire strongly or persistently

Etymology

From Middle English longynge, langynge, langand, from Old English langiende, from Proto-Germanic *langōndz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *langōną (“to desire, long for”), equivalent to long + -ing (present participle ending).

In classic literature

Synonyms

yearning, hungriness

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
desire
Narrower (hyponyms)
wistfulness, nostalgia, hankering, pining, discontentment, wishfulness

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading

Nice save! Solidify it with review →