starvation

starvation — noun

1. the serious condition of going without food for a very long period, which can ca

1.nounB2
Definition

the serious condition of going without food for a very long period, which can cause severe illness or death

Example

The long dry season pushed many farming families to the edge of starvation.

push + to the edge of [noun] for near-crisis

Quinn's study looked at how starvation in early childhood changes the way the brain grows.

Common collocations
  • die of starvation
  • suffer from starvation
  • face starvation
  • on the brink of starvation
  • near-starvation
  • signs of starvation
  • severe starvation
  • threat of starvation
  • starvation diet
Synonyms
  • hunger

    much milder; refers to the normal physical need for food, not a dangerous condition

  • famine

    refers to a widespread food shortage affecting an entire region or population

  • malnutrition

    focuses on poor-quality or insufficient nutrients rather than total lack of food

Antonyms
  • nourishment

    the food and nutrients needed for health and growth

  • satiation

    the state of having had enough food

Grammar Patterns

die of starvation

suffer from starvation

on the brink of starvation

Usage Note

Not interchangeable with 'hunger.' 'Hunger' refers to the everyday feeling of needing food, while 'starvation' describes a dangerous, prolonged lack of food that can be fatal. Often used in medical, humanitarian, and disaster contexts.

Common Mistakes

I have starvation because I skipped breakfast.
I am hungry because I skipped breakfast.
'starvation' describes a life-threatening condition, not ordinary hunger.
The cat died of starving.
The cat died of starvation.
'starvation' is the noun form; 'starving' is the adjective or verb form.

2. the deliberate use of food deprivation to harm, control, or destroy a group of p

2.nounC1
Definition

the deliberate use of food deprivation to harm, control, or destroy a group of people, often during a conflict or siege

Example

By cutting off food supplies to the city, the army used starvation as a weapon.

use + [noun] + as a weapon — instrumentalizing a condition

During the siege of Sarajevo, prosecutor Ayesha documented deliberate starvation of civilians.

Common collocations
  • starvation as a weapon
  • deliberate starvation
  • systematic starvation
  • use starvation
  • starvation tactics
  • starvation blockade
Synonyms
  • blockade

    a broader military tactic that cuts off all supplies, not only food

  • siege

    a military operation surrounding a place to force surrender, which may include starvation as a consequence

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

deliberate starvation of [group]

use [noun] as a weapon

starvation of [group] during [event]

Usage Note

Frequently appears in discussions of war crimes, international humanitarian law, and siege tactics. The object of the action is almost always a group (civilians, prisoners, a population) rather than an individual person.

Word family

  • starve
    verbB1
  • starving
    adjectiveB1
  • starved
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Starvation describes the advanced, life-threatening condition of having no food over an extended period — a person on the verge of death is starving, not merely hungry. Hunger is the everyday, and usually temporary, physical need for food; you feel hunger between meals. Famine shifts the focus to scale — it is a large-scale food crisis affecting an entire region or country, often caused by drought, war, or failed policy. Malnutrition is a distinct but related concept: it refers to poor health resulting from a diet lacking the right nutrients, which can happen even when a person has enough to eat (for example, subsisting only on white rice). In short: hunger is a feeling, starvation is a deadly condition, famine is a disaster, and malnutrition is a long-term dietary deficiency.

starvation ↗hunger ↗faminemalnutrition

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • on the brink of starvation
  • signs of starvation
  • threat of starvation
  • starvation wages

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Starvation was formed in English by adding the suffix -ation to the verb starve. The verb starve comes from Old English steorfan, which meant 'to die' in a general sense. Over time, the meaning narrowed to 'to die from lack of food.' This narrowing happened around the 1500s. The noun starvation first appeared in the late 1700s. The word is related to Dutch sterven and German sterben, both meaning 'to die.'