voracious

adjective

vo·ra·cious və-ˈrā-shəs

vȯ-

Synonyms of voracious

: having a huge appetite : ravenous

: 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

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Yet for a figure who spent his career guarding against voracious Chinese entrepreneurship at home, Mahathir welcomed Chinese investment and is scathing of American efforts to contain the rising superpower. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 2 May 2025 These voracious predators happily tackle a wide range of cucurbit pests, including aphids and squash vine borers—all without pesticides. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Apr. 2025 Lilly represents the tension between the old and new guard, flouncing into the White House with a profound disregard for tradition and a voracious desire to tear it all down. —Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025 How To Get Rid Of Squash Vine Borers These voracious pests can devastate your squash and pumpkin patch, so try these techniques for management, suggests Khan: Inspect your crops. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for voracious