voracious

adjective

vo·​ra·​cious vȯ-ˈrā-shəs How to pronounce voracious (audio)
və-
1
: having a huge appetite : ravenous
2
: excessively eager : insatiable
a voracious reader
voraciously adverb
voraciousness noun

Did you know?

Voracious is one of several English words that come from the Latin verb vorare, which means "to eat greedily" or "to devour." Vorare is also an ancestor of devour and of the -ivorous words that describe the diets of various creatures. These include carnivorous ("meat-eating"), herbivorous ("plant-eating"), omnivorous ("feeding on both animals and plants"), frugivorous ("fruit-eating"), graminivorous ("feeding on grass"), and piscivorous ("fish-eating").

Did you know?

Veracious or voracious?

Take care to distinguish between the near-homophones veracious and voracious, whose similarities in sound mask utterly different meanings. Veracious (“honest, truthful”), like its cousins veritable, verify, and very, concerns that which is true. Voracious (”having a greedy or insatiable appetite”), on the other hand, describes the urge to consume large quantities of something, often food, books, or ideas. One way to remember the difference is that the one with the E as its second letter means "truE," and the one with the O as its second letter means "ravenOus." Not coincidentally, these adjectives have near-homophonous noun derivatives: veracity ("truthfulness") and voracity ("the quality or state of being voracious").

Choose the Right Synonym for voracious

voracious, gluttonous, ravenous, rapacious mean excessively greedy.

voracious applies especially to habitual gorging with food or drink.

teenagers are often voracious eaters

gluttonous applies to one who delights in eating or acquiring things especially beyond the point of necessity or satiety.

an admiral who was gluttonous for glory

ravenous implies excessive hunger and suggests violent or grasping methods of dealing with food or with whatever satisfies an appetite.

a nation with a ravenous lust for territorial expansion

rapacious often suggests excessive and utterly selfish acquisitiveness or avarice.

rapacious developers indifferent to environmental concerns

Examples of voracious in a Sentence

He has a voracious appetite. it seemed like the voracious kitten was eating her weight in food every day
Recent Examples on the Web Attwell doesn’t do that through exposition about what any particular companies are doing, laying out a case in any journalistic sense, but through a character who embodies voracious information-gathering and manipulation. Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024 The most successful entrepreneurs are voracious learners. Melissa Houston, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Both dictators were not only voracious readers but, for a time, aspiring writers. Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Whether your dog is a voracious eater or just likes to play with their bowls at mealtime, a non-skid bowl can hold its place to avoid floor scratches and other messes. Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 22 Jan. 2024 Bighead carp can grow to 100 pounds and the invaders are voracious eaters — adult bigheads and silvers can consume up to 40% of their body weight in a single day. John Myers, Twin Cities, 20 Jan. 2024 Kara Hanks was an active member at Grace Fellowship Church in Fort Thomas, a voracious reader and a mother to two children. Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 19 Jan. 2024 In recent years, private equity has taken a voracious interest in A.B.A. services, partly because they are perceived as inexpensive. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2024 Ross has long been a voracious consumer of the finer things, having amassed enviable collections of cars, jewelry, and watches as well as a substantial real-estate portfolio. Leah Faye Cooper, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'voracious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin vorac-, vorax, from vorare to devour; akin to Old English ācweorran to guzzle, Latin gurges whirlpool, Greek bibrōskein to devour

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of voracious was in 1635

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Dictionary Entries Near voracious

Cite this Entry

“Voracious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/voracious. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

voracious

adjective
vo·​ra·​cious vȯ-ˈrā-shəs How to pronounce voracious (audio)
və-
1
: having a huge appetite : ravenous
voracious fish
2
: very eager
a voracious reader
voraciously adverb
voracity
-ˈras-ət-ē
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on voracious

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