SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN adjective talking wildly; delirious; frenzied: a raving maniac.
Informal extraordinary or remarkable: a raving beauty.
adverb furiously or wildly: a remark that made me raving mad.
noun Usually ravings . irrational, incoherent talk: Putting him in a straitjacket did not stop his ravings. wildly extravagant or outrageous talk; bombast. Origin of raving late Middle English word dating back to
1400–50; see origin at
rave1 ,
-ing2 ,
-ing1 Related forms rav·ing·ly , adverb un·rav·ing , adjective verb (used without object), raved, rav·ing. to talk wildly, as in delirium.
to talk or write with extravagant enthusiasm: She raved about her trip to Europe.
(of wind, water, storms, etc.) to make a wild or furious sound; rage.
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verb (used with object), raved, rav·ing. to utter as if in madness.
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noun an act of raving.
an extravagantly enthusiastic appraisal or review of something.
Chiefly British Slang a boisterous party, especially a dance.
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adjective extravagantly flattering or enthusiastic: rave reviews of a new play.
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Origin of rave 1 1325–75; 1915–25 for def 2 ; Middle English raven (v.), probably < Middle French resver to wander, be delirious
Related forms rav·er , noun Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for raving Contemporary Examples of raving Charles “Father” Coughlin, a raving anti-Semite, was one of the most popular radio hosts in the country.
Forget SoulCycle—the newest fitness craze is early morning raving , complete with DJs, costumes, and organic smoothies.
For those who do not trust the government, it is an excuse for ranting and raving instead of legislating compromised reform.
The Senate minority leader was raving mad, and spouting nonsense.
Let's not even bother with the obvious historical inaccuracy of this raving .
Historical Examples of raving We put him to bed, and in a short time he wakened, raving with a fever on his brain.
If I had pursued the matter, who knows but I might have been a raving maniac by this time.
Coupeau was a raving madman, the same as one sees at the Charenton mad-house!
He was manacled and guarded as though he were a raving madman.
Mary began to feel that she, too, was in danger of raving distraction.
British Dictionary definitions for raving adjective delirious; frenzied (as adverb ) raving mad informal (intensifier) a raving beauty
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noun (usually plural) frenzied, irrational, or wildly extravagant talk or utterances
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Derived Forms ravingly , adverb verb to utter (something) in a wild or incoherent manner, as when mad or delirious
(intr) to speak in an angry uncontrolled manner
(intr) (of the sea, wind, etc) to rage or roar
(intr ; foll by over or about) informal to write or speak (about) with great enthusiasm
(intr) British slang to enjoy oneself wildly or uninhibitedly
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noun informal enthusiastic or extravagant praise (as modifier ) a rave review British slang Also called: rave-up a party a professionally organized party for young people, with electronic dance music, sometimes held in a field or disused building British slang a fad or fashion the latest rave
a name given to various types of dance music, such as techno, that feature fast electronic rhythm
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Word Origin for rave C14 raven , apparently from Old French resver to wander
noun a vertical sidepiece on a wagon
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Word Origin for rave C16: modification of dialect rathe , of uncertain origin
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
Word Origin and History for raving adj. late 15c., "delirious, frenzied," present participle adjective from rave (v.); sense of "remarkable, fit to excite admiration" is from 1841, hence slang superlative use.
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v. early 14c., "to show signs of madness or delirium," from Old French raver , variant of resver "to dream; wander here and there, prowl; behave madly, be crazy," of unknown origin (cf. reverie ). The identical (in form) verb meaning "to wander, stray, rove" first appeared c.1300 in Scottish and northern dialect, and is probably from an unrelated Scandinavian word (cf. Icelandic rafa ). Sense of "talk enthusiastically about" first recorded 1704. Related: Raved ; raving .
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n. "act of raving," 1590s, from rave (v.). Meaning "temporary popular enthusiasm" is from 1902; that of "highly flattering review" is from 1926. Sense of "rowdy party" is from 1960; rave-up was British slang for "wild party" from 1940; specific modern sense of "mass party with loud, fast electronic music and often psychedelic drugs" is from 1989.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with raving see rant and rave; stark raving mad.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
