What does "famine" mean?
Extreme shortage of food in a region.
Famine
/ˈfæmɪn/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Extreme shortage of food in a region.
- Grammar: famine is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: dearth, shortage, absence, aridity.
- Useful contrasts: abundance, banquets, feast.
- Usage evidence: The prospect of famine hangs over many areas of the world.
How to use "famine"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "famine" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "famine" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "famine" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "famine" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "famine" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dearth" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "famine", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Extreme shortage of food in a region. uncountable
"It was reserved for Christians to torture bread, the staff of life, bread for which children in whole districts wail, bread, the gift of pasture to the poor, bread, for want of which thousands of our fellow beings annually perish by famine; it was reserved for Christians to torture the material of bread by fire, to create a chemical and maddening poison, burning up the brain and brutalizing the soul, and producing evils to humanity, in comparison of which, war, pestilence, and famine, cease to be evils."
- 2 a severe shortage of food (as through crop failure) resulting in violent hunger and starvation and death wordnet
- 3 A period of extreme shortage of food in a region. countable
"1986, United States Congress, House Select Committee on Hunger, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Famine and Recovery in Africa The root causes of the current famine are known: poverty, low health standards...."
- 4 an acute insufficiency wordnet
- 5 Starvation or malnutrition. countable, dated, uncountable
"His own flesh, however, which he lost by famine, shall be restored to him by Him who can recover even what has evaporated."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Severe shortage or lack of something. countable, uncountable
"the Lancashire Cotton Famine"
Proper Noun
- 1 The personification of famine, often depicted riding a black horse.
Example
"The prospect of famine hangs over many areas of the world."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "famine"?
Common synonyms include: dearth, shortage, absence, aridity, barrenness, beggary.
How do you use "famine" in a sentence?
The prospect of famine hangs over many areas of the world.
How do you pronounce "famine"?
Pronounced /ˈfæmɪn/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French famine, itself from the root of Latin fames. Cognate with Spanish hambruna (“famine”).