Main Entry:

vo·ra·cious

Pronunciation:

\vȯ-ˈrā-shəs, və-\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Latin vorac-, vorax, from vorare to devour; akin to Old English ācweorran to guzzle, Latin gurges whirlpool, Greek bibrōskein to devour

Date:

1635

1 : having a huge appetite : ravenous 2 : excessively eager : insatiable <a voracious reader>

— vo·ra·cious·ly adverb

— vo·ra·cious·ness noun

synonyms voracious, gluttonous, ravenous, rapacious mean excessively greedy. voracious applies especially to habitual gorging with food or drink <teenagers are often voracious eaters>. gluttonous applies to one who delights in eating or acquiring things especially beyond the point of necessity or satiety <an admiral who was gluttonous for glory>. ravenous implies excessive hunger and suggests violent or grasping methods of dealing with food or with whatever satisfies an appetite <a nation with a ravenous lust for territorial expansion>. rapacious often suggests excessive and utterly selfish acquisitiveness or avarice <rapacious developers indifferent to environmental concerns>.