What does "lust" mean?
A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal.
Lust
/lʌst/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal.
- Grammar: lust is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: acedia, ache, ache for, acquisitiveness.
- Useful contrasts: abstinence, apathy, aphanisis.
- Usage evidence: Love is merely a lyrical way of referring to lust.
How to use "lust"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lust" 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 "lust" 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 "lust" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lust" 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 "lust" is acting as noun, verb 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 "acedia" 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 "lust", 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 A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal. countable, uncountable
"Seeing Leslie fills me with a passionate lust."
- 2 self-indulgent sexual desire (personified as one of the deadly sins) wordnet
- 3 A general want or longing, not necessarily sexual. archaic, countable, uncountable
"The boarders hide their lust to go home."
- 4 a strong sexual desire wordnet
- 5 A delightful cause of joy, pleasure. archaic, countable, uncountable
"An ideal son is his father's lasting lust."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Virility; vigour; active power. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"It is reported, that Trees will grow greater, and beare better Fruit, if you put Salt, or Lees of Wine, or Bloud to the Root. The Cauſe may be the Encreaſing the Luſt or Spirit of the Root; […]"
Verb
- 1 To look at or watch with a strong desire, especially of a sexual nature. intransitive
"He then thought that all the sins which he had ever committed were personified, and that they all cried out against him. One cried out, I am thy lust, with which thou formerly lustedst unlawfully, and against the precepts of God: […]"
- 2 have a craving, appetite, or great desire for wordnet
- 3 To desire. archaic, intransitive, transitive, usually
"And I ſaye vnto you that helias ys come alredy / and they knewe hym nott: butt have done vnto him whatſoever they luſted."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Love is merely a lyrical way of referring to lust."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lust"?
Common synonyms include: acedia, ache, ache for, acquisitiveness, aim at, ambition.
How do you use "lust" in a sentence?
Love is merely a lyrical way of referring to lust.
How do you pronounce "lust"?
Pronounced /lʌst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English lust, from Old English lust (“lust, pleasure, longing”), from Proto-West Germanic *lustu, from Proto-Germanic *lustuz. Akin to Old Saxon, Dutch lust, Old Frisian, Old High German, German Lust, Swedish lust, Danish lyst, Icelandic lyst, Old Norse losti, Gothic 𐌻𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (lustus), and perhaps to Sanskrit लष् (laṣ), लषति (laṣati, “to desire”) and Albanian lushë (“bitch, savage dog, promiscuous woman”), or to English loose. Compare list (“to please”), listless.
Etymology 2
From Middle English lusten, from the noun.