What does lustily mean?
Lustily is an adverb meaning with vigorous appetite, enthusiasm, or energy. Its best-known use describes eating or drinking: someone who eats lustily eats eagerly and heartily, while someone who drinks lustily drinks with abundant enthusiasm. The word can also be used more broadly in literary contexts for pursuing an activity with determined energy, though this sense is less common than the culinary one. Although its vocabulary sounds old-fashioned, lustily remains natural in descriptions of appetites and feasts. It conveys a sense of uninhibited enthusiasm rather than simple satisfaction, making it especially effective when the writer wants to emphasize vigor, pleasure, or an appetite that knows no moderation.
adverbWith vigorous appetite or enjoyment, especially when eating or drinking. In a broader literary sense, with great enthusiasm or energy.
- With vigorous appetite or enjoyment, especially when eating or drinking.
- With great enthusiasm, energy, or determination, especially in a literary or somewhat archaic style.
"The children ate the cakes lustily, leaving hardly a crumb."
"After the long climb, they drank water and ate their sandwiches lustily."
"She tackled the difficult manuscript lustily, determined to finish it before dawn."
Lustily describes an appetite that is not merely satisfied but enthusiastic, vigorous, and unapologetic.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lustily come from?
Lustily derives from the adjective lusty, which means vigorous, eager, or full of appetite. The adjective in turn comes from the Middle English word lust, meaning appetite or desire, an Old English word with a similar meaning and a Germanic ancestry. The adverb suffix -ily formed the modern adverb in the usual English way, preserving the sense of vigorous appetite or enthusiasm.
Related word forms
How lustily is actually used
The common modern sense is associated with eating and drinking. Its broader literary sense, meaning eagerly or energetically, is less frequent and can sound deliberately traditional.