hanker
C1Slightly informal but still expressive.
Definition
Meaning
To have a persistent, often restless, desire or yearning for something.
A continuous, slightly nostalgic or unfulfilled craving, not necessarily for a physical object but often for an experience, state, or situation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The desire is typically strong, tinged with longing, and can imply a degree of obsession or wistfulness. The object is often intangible or distant.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The verb is used in both varieties with essentially the same meaning and frequency. The preposition used with 'hanker after' is slightly more common in BrE, while 'hanker for' is used in both.
Connotations
Slightly old-fashioned or literary in feel in both varieties.
Frequency
Low-to-medium frequency in both, more common in writing than in casual speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
to hanker after/for somethingto hanker to do something (less common)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “have a hankering for”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Possibly used figuratively: 'The company hankers after its former market dominance.'
Academic
Rare in technical writing; may appear in literary or historical analysis to describe desires.
Everyday
Most typical in personal, conversational contexts about wishes and nostalgia.
Technical
Not used.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He's always hankering after a classic MG sports car.
- I hanker for the crisp autumn days of my childhood in Yorkshire.
American English
- She hankered for a career in film since she was a teenager.
- Despite his success, he still hankered after the simplicity of small-town life.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
Examples
By CEFR Level
- She hankers for a holiday in the sun.
- Do you ever hanker after your school days?
- Many people hanker for a simpler, less connected way of life.
- He admitted to still hankering after his ex-girlfriend.
- Politicians often hanker after a bygone era of greater public trust.
- There's a part of me that hankers to abandon everything and write a novel.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a hungry HANK (a slang term for a rural person) who is always HUNGERing for more. HANKer = HANK + hunger (desire).
Conceptual Metaphor
DESIRE IS HUNGER (to hanker for something), DESIRE IS A JOURNEY TOWARDS A DISTANT OBJECT (to hanker after a dream).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation with 'хотеть' (to want) as it loses the nuance of persistent longing. Closer to 'тосковать по', 'сильно желать', 'мечтать о'. 'Hanker after fame' is not просто 'хотеть славы', but 'томиться мечтой о славе'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'hanker' without a preposition (e.g., 'I hanker a new car' – incorrect). Using 'hanker' for immediate, trivial desires (e.g., 'I hanker for a coffee' – sounds odd, too strong).
Practice
Quiz
Which preposition most commonly follows 'hanker' to mean 'desire'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it's not very common in everyday speech. It's more frequent in writing and conveys a specific type of deep, persistent longing.
They are largely interchangeable. 'Hanker after' might imply a more nostalgic or chasing desire, while 'hanker for' is slightly more direct, but the distinction is very subtle.
Yes, but typically for a specific, often nostalgic type of food, not general hunger. E.g., 'I'm hankering for my grandmother's apple pie.'
The noun is 'hankering', as in 'I have a hankering for something sweet.'