Starved, and athirst are the words that can describe the word “hungry” in the best manner. Let us check if the word “hungry” can play the role of an adjective, a noun, or a verb.
Definitely, the word “hungry” can be used as an adjective while modifying the particulars of any noun or noun equivalent. The word “hungry” can not be used as a noun or a verb. The noun form and the verbal form of the word “hungry” are the same, and that is “hunger”.
Let us check important facts and explanations related to different forms and usages of the word “hungry”.
When is “hungry” an adjective?
The word “hungry” can be called an adjective if it helps to modify a noun or noun equivalent in a sentence. Let us check when we can use “hungry” as an adjective.
We can use the word “hungry” as an adjective when it performs any of the below-listed roles in a sentence.
- Attribute modification of any single noun in a sentence can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
- Attribute modification of any plural noun in a sentence can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
- Attribute modification of any single pronoun in a sentence can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
- Attribute modification of any single pronoun in a sentence can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
- Attribute modification of any plural pronoun in a sentence can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
- Attribute modification of any single noun phrase in a sentence can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
- Attribute modification of any plural noun phrase in a sentence can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
- To show the similarity between nouns and the noun equivalent of a sentence can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
- Perform a comparison of nouns and nouns or the noun equivalent of a sentence can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
- To mark the superiority of a noun or sentence’s noun equivalent can be done with the help of the adjective “hungry”.
Is “hungry” a descriptive adjective?
An adjective and a noun are completely dependent on each other. Let us check if the word “hungry” is a descriptive adjective or not.
The adjective “hungry” belongs to the group of descriptive adjectives to depict a specific state where the person feels a need for certain aspects.
When we can use “hungry” as a descriptive adjective?
The adjective “hungry” mainly serves two purposes. Let us check when we can use “hungry” as a descriptive adjective.
Firstly, the descriptive adjective “hungry” can be used when we want to convey the need for food and, secondly, when we want to convey the need to achieve any aim or achievement. Sometimes “hungry” can be used in an ironical manner to criticize someone.
Examples and explanations are critical for learning usage grammatical terms. Here are examples of “hungry” as a descriptive adjective.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. I am feeling hungry like I can eat a big mountain in one gulp. | The adjective “hungry” is used to show that the speaker is in need of food. |
| 2. Robin always feels hungry for chocolate ice cream. | The adjective “hungry” is in use to show that Robin loves to eat chocolate ice-cream. Here, the speaker is using the adjective “hungry” to mock Robin. |
| 3. My senior is always hungry to grasp the position of the branch manager. | The adjective “hungry” is in use to show that the senior speaker is eager to have a promotion. |
| 4. Mina is fed up with her housewife life and hungry to establish her own identity. | The adjective “hungry” is used to show that Mina has no identity. Thus, she wants to have a separate identity other than being a housewife. |
| 5. The person on the footpath is begging for money for food but does not seem like he is hungry. | The adjective “hungry” is in use to show that a person is asking for money by saying that he is hungry, but actually, he may not be in that much need. |
Is “hungry” a noun?
The word “hungry” is a feeling that a living entity feels for any type of food product or achievement. Let us check if the word “hungry” is a noun or not.
The word “hungry” can not be marked as a noun. The noun form of the word “hungry” is “hunger”, which is the name entity of a state where a living person feels the need for food or passion for any purpose.
When we can use “hunger” as a noun?
We already know that the noun form of the word “hungry” is hunger. Let us check where we can use the noun “hunger”.
The noun “hunger” can be used in a sentence when we need to serve two purposes. The first is to show an entity where a person or any living being is in need of food. The second is when a living entity has a passion to achieve any target.
Which type of noun “hunger” is?
The noun “hunger” can be used in an ironic manner for criticism. Let us check which type of noun “hunger” is.
The noun “hunger” belongs to the category of abstract nouns in parts of speech. We can put it in the abstract category because “hunger” is a feeling or passion that can only be felt and not be touched, seen, or smelled.
Now, we get to know some examples which are framed with the noun “hunger”. Related explanations are also given herewith.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. Hunger can make a person crazy and push them to do things which she or he does not want to do. | The noun “hunger” is the name of a state where a person feels the need for food items to survive, and she or he can go to extreme levels to survive. |
| 2. I feel extreme hunger whenever I return from school and find that a hot meal has already been served on the table. | The noun “hunger” is the name of a state where the speaker feels food should be eaten after returning from school. Though the noun “hunger” is used in an ironical manner in this sentence, |
| 3. Our leader’s hunger for dominance power is not allowing him to come close to the root level workers. | The noun “hunger” is the name of the name of a state where the leader has a passion to dominate others. |
| 4.We must make the decision to establish an NGO whose mission will be to eradicate hunger in developing countries. | The noun “hunger” is the name of a state that the speaker and the others of the respective NGO have decided to eradicate to make a better world. |
| 5. My hunger to read new detective novels will not be abolished even if I live to be eighty years old. | The noun “hunger” is the name of a state in which the speaker feels the need to read detective novels throughout his or her life. |
Is “hungry” a verb?
A word must be related to an action or any activity to be called a verb. Let us check if the word “hungry” belongs to the group of verbs.
The word “hungry” can not be used in the English language as a verb. The verb form of the word “hungry” is “hunger”. The verb “hunger” mainly conveys meanings like ‘feeling hungry’ or ‘feeling starved’.
When we can use “hunger” as a verb?
Now, we are clear that the word “hungry” is not a verb but the word “hunger” is the verb form. Let us check when we can use “hunger” as a verb.
We can use the word “hunger” as a verb when we need to depict two activities. First, when we need to show that we are in need of food, the second is when we have a desire or thirst for any material or abstract object other than food.
Which type of verb “hunger” is?
The ways to use transitive and intransitive verbs are different. Let us check the type of verb to which “hunger” belongs.
The verb “hunger” comes under the category of intransitive verbs. We can make a note that we can sometimes use “hungry” as a verb by making it a transitive verb. There is a particular phrase to make the word “hungry” a verb, and that is ‘to make hungry’.
Here are some examples and explanations framed with the verb “hunger”.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. I get hungry as soon as I see any ice-cream stall on the street. | The verb “hunger” is in use to convey the meaning that the speaker is feeling the need for food. |
| 2. Robin’s hunger for a higher job role will make him lonely and aloof from society. | The verb “hunger” is in use to convey the meaning that Robin wants a higher job role. |
| 3. My hunger for street food always makes my stomach upset, but I never stop eating street food. | The verb “hunger” is in use to convey the meaning that the speaker is feeling the need for food. |
| 4. The teacher made Mina the monitor as Mina’s hunger to be the monitor of the class made the teacher happy. | The verb “hunger” is in use to convey the meaning that Mina is interested in being the class monitor. |
| 5. The distributor distributed the food to the front row people while the last row people’s hunger was going to the sky. | The verb “hunger” is in use to convey the meaning that people in the last row are starving. |
Conclusion –
We can make a note of two of the most common phrasal verbs which are framed with the verb “hunger”, namely “hunger after” and “hunger for”. The outer meaning of these two types of phrasal verbs is the same, though the phrasal verb ‘hunger after’ is mainly used to denote hunger for any quality, position, etc., while ‘hunger for’ can be related to the desire for any food item.
Hey! I am Arpita Bose Roy. My qualifications are M.A. in English with B. Ed. in both general education and special education. I have 2 years of experience as a “language analyst” at IIT Kharagpur and 4 years of experience as an “Academic Content Developer” at IIT Kharagpur. Currently, I am working as an academic writer at Lambdageeks.