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ravenous

[ rav-uh-nuhs ]
/ ˈræv ə nəs /
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See synonyms for: ravenous / ravenousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
extremely hungry; famished; voracious: feeling ravenous after a hard day's work.
extremely rapacious: a ravenous jungle beast.
intensely eager for gratification or satisfaction.

OTHER WORDS FOR ravenous

1 greedy, starved, devouring.

OPPOSITES FOR ravenous

1 sated.
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Origin of ravenous

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French ravineus, equivalent to ravin(er) “to plunder” (See raven2) + -eus-ous

synonym study for ravenous

1. Ravenous, ravening, voracious suggest a greediness for food and usually intense hunger. Ravenous implies extreme hunger, or a famished condition: ravenous wild beasts. Ravening adds the idea of fierceness and savagery, especially as shown in a violent manner of acquiring food: ravening wolves. Voracious implies craving or eating a great deal of food: a voracious child; a voracious appetite. It may also be used figuratively: a voracious reader.

OTHER WORDS FROM ravenous

rav·en·ous·ly, adverbrav·en·ous·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ravenous

ravenous , ravening (see synonym study at the current entry)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ravenous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ravenous

ravenous
/ (ˈrævənəs) /

adjective
famished; starving
rapacious; voracious

Derived forms of ravenous

ravenously, adverbravenousness, noun

Word Origin for ravenous

C16: from Old French ravineux, from Latin rapīna plunder, from rapere to seize
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
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