yearningEnglishOxford American Thesaurusyearning noun they sometimes feel a yearning for the mountains and the sea: longing, pining, craving, desire, want, wish, hankering, urge, need, hunger, hungering, thirst, appetite, greed, lust, ache, burning, fancy, inclination, eagerness, fervor; informal yen, itch; rare cacoethes.