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Meaning & use

lust

noun, verb·Advanced

Last updated

UK/lʌst/
US/lʌst/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    A strong physical desire for someone, especially a sexual one.

    Grammar: Usually uncountable; sometimes followed by for: lust for her.

    Patterns

    • lust for someone

    The novel describes a young man's lust for his friend's wife.

    Lust is one of the seven deadly sins in Christian teaching.

    The characters mistake lust for love.

  2. noununcountabledisapproving

    An overwhelming craving for something, such as power or money.

    Grammar: Often with of: lust for power; sounds negative.

    Patterns

    • lust for something
    • a lust for power

    The king's lust for power destroyed his family.

    His lust for fame led him to lie about his achievements.

    A lust for gold drove the explorers across the ocean.

  3. verbintransitivedisapproving

    To want something very strongly.

    Grammar: No object; followed by after or for: lust after wealth.

    Patterns

    • lust after someone
    • lust for something

    Rivals lusted after the throne.

    He lusted for revenge after the betrayal.

    Many collectors lust after rare coins.

Word forms

plurallusts
third person singularlusts
past tenselusted
past participlelusted
-ing formlusting

Common combinations

lust for power
His lust for power made him cruel.
lust for life
She had an infectious lust for life.
lust after
They lusted after the prize.
blind lust
He was driven by blind lust for the title.
greed and lust
The play deals with greed and lust.

Synonyms and how they differ

desire
Desire is a neutral, wider word, while lust is more intense and usually negative.
craving
Craving suggests a strong need, often for food or drink, with less moral judgment than lust.
greed
Greed is the selfish wish for more money or things, and does not involve sexual desire.
passion
Passion can be warm and positive, whereas lust implies something more physical and uncontrolled.

Opposites

indifferencerestraint

Word family

lustful adjective
full of strong sexual desire
lustfully adverb
in a way that shows strong desire
lusty adjective
healthy, strong and energetic
lustre noun
a soft shine on a surface, from a different root

Commonly confused: lust or luster?

lust vs luster

Luster (lustre in British English) means shine or glow. It sounds the same as lust plus -er but is unrelated.

Practice

Which phrase best shows the second meaning of lust?

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