raving

American  

[rey-ving] / ˈreɪ vɪŋ /

adjective

1. talking wildly; delirious; frenzied.

   a raving maniac.

2. Informal. extraordinary or remarkable.

   a raving beauty.

---

adverb

1. furiously or wildly.

   a remark that made me raving mad.

noun

1. Usually ravings

   1. irrational, incoherent talk.

      Putting him in a straitjacket did not stop his ravings.

   2. wildly extravagant or outrageous talk; bombast.

raving British  

/ ˈreɪvɪŋ /

adjective

1. 1. delirious; frenzied

   2. ( as adverb )

      raving mad

2. informal (intensifier)

   a raving beauty

---

noun

1. (usually plural) frenzied, irrational, or wildly extravagant talk or utterances

Other Word Forms

• ravingly adverb
• unraving adjective

Etymology

Origin of raving

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; rave ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Influencers, celebrities and everyday people are raving about the injectable substances, which promise everything from youthful skin to speedy muscle recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

We might not be capable of atrocities, but in our dreams we’re all occasionally raving lunatics, giving vent to feelings we keep buried away in the light of day.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

The construction tycoon has also taken a personal interest in revamping the building, making a number of visits to inspect work on the center and raving about the white marble he was bringing in.

From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025

The Macfadyen performance is not of a raving lunatic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Her own mother, the most levelheaded Olympian, was reduced to a raving, vicious scatterbrain in a subway station.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan