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Prepositions after adjectives

hungry with different prepositions

Hungry for is the standard pattern for food, success, or desire. Other prepositions may appear in special contexts but are not the main adjective pattern.

Quick answer

Most common pattern

Use hungry for to talk about food, success, attention, or strong desire. Hungry after exists in some literary or old-fashioned contexts meaning eager for. Hungry with usually introduces a cause or condition, not the object desired.

The children were hungry for dinner.
She is hungry for success.
The crowd was hungry with curiosity.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
hungry for + food

Wanting something to eat

Hungry for is the normal pattern for food.

I'm hungry for pizza.
They were hungry for breakfast.
2
hungry for + abstract noun

Strong desire for something

Hungry for also describes ambition or emotional desire.

The company is hungry for growth.
He was hungry for recognition.
3
hungry with + emotion

Describing a condition or feeling

With introduces a state accompanying hunger or desire.

The audience waited, hungry with expectation.
They stared at the screen, hungry with curiosity.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
hungry for
She is hungry for knowledge.
strongly wanting something
hungry after
He seemed hungry after power.
an old-fashioned or literary way to say eager for
hungry with
The refugees were weak and hungry with exhaustion.
with introduces a condition or cause
hungry at
Hungry at is not a standard adjective-preposition pattern.
at may introduce time or place separately
hungry in
Hungry in is not normally used as a fixed pattern.
in usually introduces context, not the object desired

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using hungry at for food

Use hungry for when naming what you want.

✕ I'm hungry at pasta. ✓ I'm hungry for pasta.

Using hungry in as the main pattern

Hungry normally takes for.

✕ She is hungry in success. ✓ She is hungry for success.

Confusing hungry with and hungry for

Hungry with describes a condition, not the desired thing.

✕ They were hungry with victory. ✓ They were hungry for victory.

Overusing hungry after

Hungry after sounds literary or old-fashioned in modern English.

✕ The team is hungry after attention. ✓ The team is hungry for attention.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. He is hungry ___ fame.
2. The audience waited, hungry ___ excitement.
3. Which option is the most natural modern English?

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Frequently asked questions

Is hungry for correct?

Yes. It is the standard expression for desire, ambition, or wanting food.

Can I say hungry after?

Yes, but it sounds literary or old-fashioned in most modern contexts.

What does hungry with mean?

It usually introduces a feeling or condition accompanying hunger or desire.

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