omnivorous

American  

[om-niv-er-uhs] / ɒmˈnɪv ər əs /

adjective

1. eating both animal and plant foods.

2. eating all kinds of foods indiscriminately.

3. taking in everything, as with the mind.

   an omnivorous reader.

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omnivorous British  

/ ɒmˈnɪvərəs /

adjective

1. eating food of both animal and vegetable origin, or any type of food indiscriminately

2. taking in or assimilating everything, esp with the mind

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Other Word Forms

• omnivorism noun
• omnivorously adverb
• omnivorousness noun

Etymology

Origin of omnivorous

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin omnivorus “all-devouring”; equivalent to omni- + -vorous

Explanation

An omnivorous animal eats meat and plants — everything on the menu. The word omnivorous wears its meaning on its sleeve: omni means "all," and vorare is "to devour." It all comes together in the Latin word omnivorus — "all-devouring." Rarr! Polar bears are omnivorous, while pandas are herbivorous (eat only plants). People love to say they're carnivorous (eat only meat) when they're probably really omnivorous (unless they really do kick the French fries off the plate every time). Since omnivorous means "devouring everything," you can use it to describe someone with a very curious mind, who wants to "devour" everything with their brain, not their teeth.

Example Sentences

Their culturally omnivorous oldest son, Bernard, was the author’s great-grandfather.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

They took an omnivorous approach to recording, performing spoken-word jams and a radio play and covering Bruce Springsteen and Christmas standards.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

These include improved markers of cardiovascular health when compared with omnivorous diets that include meat, fish, and other animal-derived foods.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2025

Therizinosaurs were a group of either herbivorous or omnivorous theropod dinosaurs that lived in Asia and North America during the Cretaceous Period, which began 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2025

Remember, humans are omnivorous apes who thrive on a wide variety of foods.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari