Yen
What it means
A strong informal desire or inclination to do or experience something.
Reach for it when naming an appetite for an activity when the tone is lighter than yearning
He developed a yen for travel after studying maritime history.
Words to choose between 7
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| formal | |
| literary |
-
playful
hankering
Fits when a persistent informal desire suits conversational prose
Careful Hankering can sound rustic or comic and is less concise than yen.
-
playful
itch
Fits when restless desire to begin an activity is vivid
Careful Itch is slang and suggests impatience rather than considered interest.
-
everyday
urge
Fits when an immediate impulse presses for action
Careful An urge is more sudden and bodily, while a yen can persist pleasantly.
-
warm
craving
Fits when desire feels intense and difficult to ignore
Careful Craving often concerns food or addiction and can pathologize an ordinary interest.
-
formal
inclination
Fits when a mild tendency or preference should sound neutral
Careful Inclination is weaker and may never become a strong desire.
-
literary
appetite
Fits when eager interest can be expressed metaphorically
Careful Appetite can sound acquisitive and may introduce a food meaning.
-
literary
longing
Fits when absence gives desire emotional depth
Careful Longing is much more serious and tender than a casual yen.
Opposites 3
- aversion
- disinclination
- indifference
Common phrases 3
-
have a yen for
Some collectors have a yen for old maps but check their colonial labels critically.
-
develop a yen
The workshop helped him develop a yen for woodworking.
-
sudden yen
A sudden yen for the coast sent them to the last evening train.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Commander Keane, Australian accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated