Dictionary.com

ravenous

[ rav-uh-nuhs ]
/ ˈræv ə nəs /
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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.

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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

SYNONYMS FOR ravenous

1 greedy, starved, devouring.
2 predatory.
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ANTONYMS FOR ravenous

1 sated.
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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. 2020

Words related to ravenous

voracious, rapacious, insatiable, ferocious, greedy, avaricious, covetous, devouring, empty, famished, gluttonous, grasping, omnivorous, predatory, starved, edacious, insatiate, ravening, wolfish

Example sentences from the Web for ravenous

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