Wanderlust
noun /ˈwɒndəlʌst/ — A strong, irresistible desire to travel and explore the world.
Definition
A strong desire to travel and rove about; a yearning to see new places and experience unfamiliar things — compulsive, pleasurable restlessness directed outward.
Beyond the definition
Wanderlust is the restlessness that presents itself as direction — the urge that says not here, somewhere else. Some people satisfy it with travel; others carry it their whole lives as a permanent low-level dissatisfaction. The German compound is more precise than any English equivalent.
Origin & history
German: wandern (to hike, roam) + Lust (desire, pleasure). Entered English in the late 19th century from German, where it described the tradition of traveling journeymen exploring their craft in new places.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The wanderlust that had driven her across four continents eventually settled into something quieter.
She had had the same wanderlust since she was twelve — the feeling that the real thing was always somewhere ahead.
Travel does not cure wanderlust; often it intensifies it.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Wanderlust” when the meaning fits your context: A strong desire to travel and rove about; a yearning to see new places and experience unfamiliar things — compulsive, pleasurable restlessness directed outward.
Synonyms
travel hunger, roaming desire, restlessness
Antonyms
homebodiness, rootedness
Related words
Wanderlust vs adventure
Wanderlust is the internal desire or itch to travel. Adventure is the actual experience or daring activity that one participates in once they start traveling.
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
She had a map above her desk — not of any place she was planning to go. Just a map of the world, which she studied most mornings with her coffee.
The pull was not practical. She didn't make plans. She just needed, most mornings, to look at the space between here and somewhere very far away, and feel that the distance existed — that the world was wide enough to contain everything she hadn't seen yet.
Her colleagues assumed she travelled constantly. She didn't, especially. The longing was not about moving. It was about knowing that the world was still large enough to long for.
Questions about this word
What does "Wanderlust" mean?
Wanderlust is noun meaning: A strong, irresistible desire to travel and explore the world.. A strong desire to travel and rove about; a yearning to see new places and experience unfamiliar things — compulsive, pleasurable restlessness directed outward.
Where does the word "Wanderlust" come from?
German: wandern (to hike, roam) + Lust (desire, pleasure). Entered English in the late 19th century from German, where it described the tradition of traveling journeymen exploring their craft in new places.