What does craver mean?
A craver is simply a person who craves: someone gripped by a strong, persistent desire for a particular thing. The word is the natural agent form of the verb crave, and it attaches itself to almost any object of appetite — a sugar craver reaches for sweets, a nicotine craver fights withdrawal, an attention craver seeks the spotlight. Because craving implies a need that feels urgent rather than merely preferred, calling someone a craver usually suggests intensity, and in discussions of addiction or psychology it can carry a faintly negative or diagnostic tone. In lighter contexts it reads as affectionate self-description, as in a self-confessed cheese craver. Though not among English's most common nouns, craver is useful precisely because it condenses a whole psychological state — restless wanting — into a single, vivid label.
nounA person who craves or strongly desires something, whether food, attention, approval, or any other object of longing.
- A person who has a strong, often persistent desire for something (food, a substance, attention, approval, etc.).
"As a self-confessed sugar craver, she kept a drawer full of chocolate at her desk."
"He was a hopeless coffee craver, needing two cups before he could speak in the morning."
"Psychologists distinguish the thrill seeker from the attention craver, whose hunger is social rather than sensory."
Regular plural; used freely when referring to groups of people who share a particular craving.
"The survey found that late-night snack cravers outnumber morning ones."
Craver is the rare English noun that turns an appetite — for chocolate, fame, or validation — into a single word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of craver
Craver derives from the Middle English verb craven (modern crave), which itself was borrowed from Old Norse krefja, meaning to demand or claim as a right, a word related to the Germanic root behind 'claim' and 'cry'. As crave came to mean intense desire by the early modern period, the agent-noun suffix -er produced craver, meaning one who desires or begs for something. Its closest relatives are therefore the other derivatives of crave itself, such as craving and craven.
Related word forms
How craver is actually used
Craver is an agent noun formed from the verb crave and appears most often in informal and psychological contexts. It frequently carries a slightly negative or clinical connotation when applied to cravings for substances or attention, but is neutral or even playful when used of foods, as in 'a cheese craver'.
Easily confused with craver
A carver is someone who cuts wood, stone, or meat into shapes, whereas a craver is someone with a strong desire or longing for something.