WordGarden.iothirstily
A2Pronunciation
UK
US
Meanings
Adverb
in a way that shows thirst or a strong need to drink
with eager or intense desire
(slang)in an overly eager or sexually interested way, especially in online slang
Beyond the definition
Imagine you've been wandering in the desert for days. Finally, you spot an oasis. You don't sip the water; you gulp it down thirstily, driven by a desperate need to wet your dry throat. That is the heart of the word: doing something with the urgent feeling of real thirst.
Most often, it describes the way someone drinks. Sometimes, especially in literary writing, it also stretches into a metaphor for strong desire. A person might gaze thirstily at a glass of water, or in a more poetic line, look thirstily toward comfort, love, or hope. It suggests wanting something badly, with a sense of need rather than simple interest.
"Thirstily" is an adverb that describes doing something in the way a very thirsty person drinks: eagerly, urgently, and with a strong sense of need. Its clearest and most common use is literal. Picture a weary traveler reaching a spring and drinking thirstily, hardly pausing for breath.
From that literal sense, the word can also be used metaphorically, especially in expressive or literary writing. In those cases, it suggests longing for something as strongly as a thirsty person longs for water. Someone might look thirstily toward relief, rain, affection, or success. The image is not just eagerness, but eagerness mixed with lack and craving.
That said, this metaphorical use is less common and can sound dramatic. In plain everyday English, the word is most natural when connected to actual thirst or to clearly poetic description. It is usually not the best choice for ordinary ideas like reading a book, accepting an invitation, or listening to a lecture.
The key to understanding "thirstily" is the feeling underneath it: need. It means more than simply doing something gladly. It carries the sense of craving, urgency, and not having enough. So when you read that someone drank thirstily, or even looked thirstily toward something in a story, the word tells you that desire is strong, immediate, and deeply felt.
Examples
- 1
Physical need
After the long run, she drank the water thirstily.
- 2
Animal drinking
The dog lapped thirstily at the bowl.
- 3
Figurative use
The dry ground seemed to soak up the rain thirstily.
- Usage
used figuratively here: the ground is described like a thirsty person or animal
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- drink thirstily
- gulp thirstily
- look thirstily at
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- thirstilyadverb