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Meaning & use

insatiable

adjective·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ɪnˈseɪʃəbl/
US/ɪnˈseɪʃəbl/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Wanting something so much that you can never be satisfied.

    Grammar: Often before a noun: insatiable appetite.

    Patterns

    • insatiable for something
    • an insatiable something

    She had an insatiable curiosity about the stars.

    The teenager's insatiable appetite emptied the fridge.

    His insatiable need for praise exhausted the team.

  2. adjectivecomparableinformal

    Describing a person who always wants more of something.

    Grammar: Less common with a person as subject: he is insatiable.

    Patterns

    • insatiable for something

    He is insatiable when it comes to new gadgets.

    The collector was insatiable for rare stamps.

    Readers were insatiable for news of the trial.

Common combinations

insatiable appetite
The caterpillars have an insatiable appetite.
insatiable curiosity
Her insatiable curiosity led her into science.
insatiable demand
There is insatiable demand for fresh bread.
insatiable thirst
He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
insatiable greed
The tyrant's insatiable greed ruined the land.

Synonyms and how they differ

unquenchable
Unquenchable is often used for thirst or desire and sounds more poetic.
voracious
Voracious describes eating or reading enormous amounts with energy, while insatiable stresses never being satisfied.
greedy
Greedy is judgmental and implies selfishness, while insatiable only describes the lack of satisfaction.
endless
Endless means without end in general, not only for wants.

Opposites

satisfiedsatedmodest

Word family

insatiably adverb
in a way that cannot be satisfied
insatiability noun
the state of never being satisfied
satiate verb
to satisfy fully
satiety noun
the state of being full

Commonly confused: insatiable or insatiate?

insatiable vs insatiate

Insatiate is a rare literary variant of insatiable with a similar meaning.

Practice

Her ____ curiosity meant she asked questions all day long and was never satisfied with the answers.

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