ravenous
[ rav-uh-nuhs ]
Origin of ravenous
1synonym study For ravenous
1. Ravenous, ravening, voracious suggest a greediness for food and usually intense hunger. Ravenous implies extreme hunger, or a famished condition: ravenous wild beasts. Ravening adds the idea of fierceness and savagery, especially as shown in a violent manner of acquiring food: ravening wolves. Voracious implies craving or eating a great deal of food: a voracious child; a voracious appetite. It may also be used figuratively: a voracious reader.
Other words for ravenous
1 | greedy, starved, devouring |
2 | predatory |
Opposites for ravenous
Other words from ravenous
- rav·en·ous·ly, adverb
- rav·en·ous·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with ravenous
- ravenous , ravening (see synonym study at the current entry)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for ravenous
ravenous
/ (ˈrævənəs) /
adjective
famished; starving
rapacious; voracious
Origin of ravenous
1C16: from Old French ravineux, from Latin rapīna plunder, from rapere to seize
Derived forms of ravenous
- ravenously, adverb
- ravenousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse