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Everyone has desire for something. A politician has desire for a position. An unemployed has desire for a job. A baby has desire for candy. The things which they have desire for have different names, but those are "desired ones".

Is there any word (noun) for "something that is desired"?

Example sentence:

My baby loves teddy bear because it is her _________.

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    With the verb desire you do not need, and it is incorrect, to add the preposition for. Your sentences should all have the word for deleted from them. Without for they are all perfectly grammatical.
    – WS2
    Commented Oct 21, 2015 at 22:28
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    A wish (one) or a wish list (many)
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Commented Oct 21, 2015 at 22:35
  • It's a desirable.
    – Drew
    Commented Oct 22, 2015 at 1:19
  • My baby loves teddy bear because it is her _________.
    – aswaaks
    Commented Oct 22, 2015 at 23:06
  • @aswaaks: thanks. You don't need to reply to my comments, though; it's better if you just edit your question in response.
    – herisson
    Commented Oct 22, 2015 at 23:20

8 Answers 8

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A wish:

  • A thing or event that is or has been desired; an object of desire:

    • the petitioners eventually got their wish

(ODO)

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    On that note, a "desire" also works; If I were asked "what is your desire," I could answer "lunch" and be understood.
    – user867
    Commented Oct 21, 2015 at 22:57
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desideratum (plural desiderata)

noun de·sid·er·a·tum \di-ˌsi-də-ˈrä-təm, -ˌzi-, -ˈrā-\

: something that is needed or wanted

Merriam-Webster

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Need could be a candidate as it means:

something that a person must have : something that is needed in order to live or succeed or be happy

"Our experienced staff will go out of their way to meet your every need."

[Merriam-Webster]

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Desirable is the obvious replacement:

She is well adjusted, mature, competent, and beautiful:  a very desirable woman.

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  • It's used as an adjective there. Can it be used as a noun?
    – herisson
    Commented Oct 22, 2015 at 22:57
  • @sumelic: not that I can immediately think of. At least not other than "desirable object".
    – wallyk
    Commented Oct 22, 2015 at 23:14
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Consider,

GOAL

: the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result OED

END

: a goal or result that one seeks to achieve OED

TARGET

: an objective or result toward which efforts are directed OED

OBJECTIVE

: a thing aimed at or sought; a goal OED

AIM

: a purpose or intention; a desired outcome OED

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It's a bit stronger than a "desire", but some people are seeking their Holy Grail:

(informal) any desired ambition or goal - the Holy Grail of infrared astronomy (-- Collins)

NB. Merriam-Webster says

often not capitalized : an object or goal that is sought after for its great significance

It also usually signifies a goal that's particularly hard to achieve.

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If the desire is very strong, it might be called a craving.

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They are the objects of {their} desires.

Replace {their} with the appropriate possessive pronoun for the situation.

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  • That definitely works, but it's not a single word. It might be a more common phrase than "(some)thing that is desired" though.
    – herisson
    Commented Oct 22, 2015 at 23:23
  • @sumelic - Agreed. And with the update of the example sentence, I think this answer is bordering on useless.
    – AndyT
    Commented Oct 23, 2015 at 8:52

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