Meaning & use

unquenched

adjective·Advancedliterary

Last updated

UK/ʌnˈkwentʃt/
US/ʌnˈkwentʃt/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparableliterary

    Describing a thirst or need that has not been satisfied or relieved.

    Grammar: Works before a noun or after a verb: unquenched thirst, or his thirst remained unquenched.

    Patterns

    • remain unquenched

    After the long hike his thirst was still unquenched.

    Her unquenched curiosity pushed her to read every book on the subject.

    The village's unquenched need for clean water led them to dig a new well.

  2. adjectivecomparableliterary

    Describing a fire or flame that has not been put out.

    Grammar: Applies to fires and sometimes feelings: an unquenched blaze.

    Patterns

    • leave something unquenched

    The unquenched embers glowed through the night.

    An unquenched fire in the hills threatened the next valley.

Common combinations

unquenched thirst
His unquenched thirst drove him toward the river.
unquenched desire
She felt an unquenched desire to travel.
unquenched curiosity
Unquenched curiosity kept him up all night reading.
remain unquenched
Their hunger for success remained unquenched.

Synonyms and how they differ

unsatisfied
Unsatisfied is neutral and common, while unquenched sounds more poetic and tied to thirst or fire.
unslaked
Unslaked is even more literary and is mainly used with thirst and lime.
insatiable
Insatiable means impossible to satisfy at all, whereas unquenched only says it has not been satisfied yet.

Opposites

quenchedsatisfied

Word family

quench verb
to satisfy thirst, or put out a fire
quencher noun
something that satisfies thirst
unquenchable adjective
impossible to satisfy
quenching adjective
relieving thirst

Commonly confused: unquenched or unquenchable?

unquenched vs unquenchable

Unquenchable means that the thirst or desire cannot be satisfied, while unquenched only says it has not been satisfied so far.

Practice

After walking all day in the desert without water, the hikers' thirst was still ____.

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