omnivorous

[ om-niv-er-uhs ]
See synonyms for: omnivorousomnivorousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. eating both animal and plant foods.

  2. eating all kinds of foods indiscriminately.

  1. taking in everything, as with the mind: an omnivorous reader.

Origin of omnivorous

1
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin omnivorus “all-devouring”; equivalent to omni- + -vorous

Other words from omnivorous

  • om·niv·o·rism, noun
  • om·niv·o·rous·ly, adverb
  • om·niv·o·rous·ness, noun
  • om·niv·o·rism, noun

Words that may be confused with omnivorous

Words Nearby omnivorous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use omnivorous in a sentence

  • It is quite within the limits of probability, for instance, that the man-ape at an early date became omnivorous in its diet.

    Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
  • The young gorilla which was kept in captivity at Berlin became quite omnivorous in its diet.

    Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
  • She was an omnivorous reader, especially of philosophic works, and very fond of discussing what she read.

    Court Beauties of Old Whitehall | W. R. H. Trowbridge
  • They have a prejudice against milk; but in the matter of other sorts of food are omnivorous.

  • Like many Edinburgh shopkeepers, Mr. Traill was a man of superior education and an omnivorous reader.

    Greyfriars Bobby | Eleanor Atkinson

British Dictionary definitions for omnivorous

omnivorous

/ (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

Origin of omnivorous

1
C17: from Latin omnivorus all-devouring, from omni- + vorāre to eat greedily

Derived forms of omnivorous

  • omnivorously, adverb
  • omnivorousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012