voracious
Americanadjective
-
craving or consuming large quantities of food.
a voracious appetite.
-
exceedingly eager or avid.
voracious readers; a voracious collector.
- Synonyms:
- insatiable, rapacious
adjective
-
devouring or craving food in great quantities
-
very eager or unremitting in some activity
voracious reading
Related Words
See ravenous.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of voracious
First recorded in 1625–35; voraci(ty) + -ous
Explanation
Voracious is an adjective used to describe a wolflike appetite. It might be a craving for food or for something else, such as power, but the word usually denotes an unflattering greediness. Voracious comes from the Latin vorāre, "to devour." The word is usually associated with swallowing or devouring food in a ravenous manner, but it can be used of someone intensely involved in any activity. Pierre Salinger referred to President Kennedy as a "voracious reader," while Robert Bakker once likened the IRS to a "voracious, small-minded predator."
Vocabulary lists containing voracious
Eat Your Words
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Born a Crime
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "V"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, like the modern octopus, they would have been opportunistic and voracious predators, and wouldn't have passed up other prey if they had the chance.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Amazon MGM is putting all of their chips on this film, and for good reason: Andy Weir’s 2021 source novel was a hit among critics and especially among voracious readers of contemporary science fiction.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
Until the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, markets could be stuck with voracious appetite for trading around oil volatility.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026
Data centers’ voracious energy needs hold the potential to upend power markets spanning entire regions and push up residents’ bills.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
And there was always the danger that a voracious army of ants would swarm through, eating up their specimens and leaving trees and bushes “clean as the handle of a broom.”
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
