thirsty

/ˈθɜːsti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈθɜːrsti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈthər-stē/ (ame, mw)

thirsty — adjective

  • thirstypositive
  • thirstiercomparative
  • thirstiestsuperlative

1. feeling that you need or want to drink something, especially water — the usual p

1.形容詞A1
釋義

feeling that you need or want to drink something, especially water — the usual physical sensation when your body lacks fluid.

例句

Ramón ran five kilometres under the hot sun, felt thirsty, and drank a whole bottle of water.

feel + thirsty + reason (physical cause)

The hiker carried extra water because she knew she would get thirsty on the trail.

get thirsty — change of state

同義詞
  • dehydrated

    more clinical or serious; refers to a medical lack of water in the body

  • parched

    more dramatic or old-fashioned for physical thirst ('I'm parched!')

  • dry

    describes the feeling in the mouth rather than the whole-body need

反義詞

常見錯誤

❌I am very thirsty water.
✅I am very thirsty for water.' or ✅ 'I am very thirsty.
💡thirsty alone is enough; add 'for + noun' only when you want to specify the drink.

2. having an extremely strong and eager desire for something abstract such as power

2.形容詞B2
釋義

having an extremely strong and eager desire for something abstract such as power, knowledge, wealth, or revenge — wanting it as intensely as a thirsty person wants water.

例句

The young dictator was thirsty for power and imprisoned anyone who questioned his authority.

thirsty for + power

Xiu was thirsty for knowledge and spent every evening reading scientific journals.

thirsty for + knowledge

同義詞
  • eager

    less intense; can be positive or neutral without the desperate edge

  • hungry for

    similar intensity but a different metaphor ('hungry for power')

  • desperate for

    stronger and more urgent, implying near-panic

  • avid

    formal; suggests enthusiastic interest rather than desperate need

反義詞

文法句型

thirsty for + [abstract noun: power / knowledge / wealth / fame / revenge]

用法筆記

Almost always followed by the preposition 'for' and an abstract noun (power, knowledge, fame, revenge, wealth, control). Unlike sense 1, this sense is rarely used without 'for + noun'.

常見錯誤

❌He is thirsty to learn.
✅He is thirsty for knowledge.
💡thirsty takes 'for + noun', not 'to + infinitive'.
❌She is thirsty for water' (when meaning sense 1).
✅She is thirsty.
💡with a concrete drink, use the literal sense 1 instead.

3. wanting attention, approval, or admiration so strongly that one's behaviour appe

3.形容詞B2
釋義

wanting attention, approval, or admiration so strongly that one's behaviour appears obvious or desperate — often used about social-media posts that seem designed to attract likes, comments, or compliments.

例句

Nia posted the same photo on three platforms, and her roommate joked she looked thirsty for likes.

look thirsty — appearance of desperation

The actor's publicist warned that too many shirtless selfies made him seem thirsty for attention.

同義詞
  • desperate

    broader and stronger; can apply outside social media

  • needy

    similar negative judgement but about emotional dependence, not specifically online

  • attention-hungry

    more direct and literal; same register

反義詞
  • low-key

    relaxed about attention; not trying hard to impress

  • modest

    not wanting to show off or draw attention to oneself

文法句型

thirsty for + [social approval noun: attention / likes / validation / followers]

用法筆記

This sense is informal and primarily used in digital/social-media contexts. It carries a negative or mocking tone — calling someone 'thirsty' implies their need for approval is painfully obvious.

常見錯誤

❌He is thirsty for a promotion at work.' (in a neutral, ambitious sense)
✅He is eager for a promotion.
💡sense 3 carries a negative judgement about attention-seeking, not neutral ambition.

4. dry and cracked from having no water for a long time — used for land, soil, fiel

4.形容詞B1
釋義

dry and cracked from having no water for a long time — used for land, soil, fields, or plants that desperately need rain or watering.

例句

After three months without rain, the thirsty farmland had cracked open under the relentless sun.

The gardener watered the thirsty plants every morning during the heatwave to stop them from wilting.

thirsty plants — living things needing water

同義詞
  • parched

    the closest synonym; slightly more dramatic or literary

  • arid

    describes a climate or region that is permanently dry, not temporarily

  • dry

    general and neutral; less evocative

  • dried-up

    informal; emphasises the result of water loss

反義詞

用法筆記

Used for land, soil, fields, crops, and plants — not usually for individual small objects. More poetic or descriptive than simply saying 'dry'.

常見錯誤

❌The thirsty towel soaked up the water.
✅The thirsty soil soaked up the rain.
💡thirsty in this sense only applies to land and plants, not to absorbent objects.