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voracious

adjective
vo·​ra·​cious | \ vȯ-ˈrā-shəs How to pronounce voracious (audio) , və-\

Definition of voracious

1 : having a huge appetite : ravenous
2 : excessively eager : insatiable a voracious reader
Other Words from voracious Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Veracious or voracious? Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about voracious

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Other Words from voracious

voraciously adverb
voraciousness noun

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

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").

Did You Know?

Voracious is one of several English words that derive 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, which describe the diets of various animals. 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").

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

 Prolific breeders and voracious eaters, the invaders compete with native fish for food and habitat. — John Flesher, Twin Cities, "Study: Asian carp could find plenty of food in Lake Michigan, and a chance to spread to other Great Lakes," 13 Aug. 2019 Prolific breeders and voracious eaters, the invaders compete with native fish for food and habitat. — Washington Post, "Study: Asian carp could find plenty of food in Lake Michigan," 12 Aug. 2019 But an increasing number of marine researchers say the voracious eaters are thriving at the expense of higher-value sockeye salmon, seabirds and other species with whom their diet overlaps. — Dan Joling, Anchorage Daily News, "Scientists warn of too many pink salmon in North Pacific," 11 Aug. 2019 But short-haul flights are increasing as countries like China, India, and Brazil open new routes to accommodate a voracious demand for domestic air travel. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Air travel is a huge contributor to climate change. A new global movement wants you to be ashamed to fly.," 1 Aug. 2019 The hornworm is a voracious eater of plants — mainly tomatoes and peppers. — Joan Morris, The Mercury News, "What was this caterpillar up to in a Pleasant Hill garden bed?," 15 July 2019 Several trends are driving China’s voracious demand for tutors. — Yan Zhang, USA TODAY, "Chinese parents are paying for their kids to learn English from US online tutors. Here's how the job works," 11 June 2019 The show’s production team would call bookstores ahead of time to help them prepare for an onslaught of voracious readers, who would push even quite niche works to the top of the bestseller lists. — Natasha Frost, Quartzy, "Why Oprah Winfrey wanted Toni Morrison on America’s bookshelves," 6 Aug. 2019 Wildlife officials and onlookers laid out a buffet of lettuce and other veggies for the manatee to satisfy its voracious appetite. — J.r. Gonzales, Houston Chronicle, "In 1995, a manatee made its way up Buffalo Bayou. Houstonians were enthralled," 5 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'voracious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of voracious

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for voracious

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

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More Definitions for voracious

voracious

adjective
How to pronounce voracious (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of voracious

: having or showing a tendency to eat very large amounts of food

See the full definition for voracious in the English Language Learners Dictionary

voracious

adjective
vo·​ra·​cious | \ vȯ-ˈrā-shəs How to pronounce voracious (audio) , və-\

Kids Definition of voracious

1 : very hungry : having a huge appetite
2 : very eager a voracious reader

Other Words from voracious

voraciously adverb

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More from Merriam-Webster on voracious

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with voracious

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for voracious

Spanish Central: Translation of voracious

Nglish: Translation of voracious for Spanish Speakers

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