ravenous

adjective rav·en·ous \ ˈra-və-nəs , ˈrav-nəs \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of ravenous

1 : rapacious

ravenous wolves

2 : very eager or greedy for food, satisfaction, or gratification

a ravenous appetite

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ravenously

adverb

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ravenousness

noun

See ravenous defined for English-language learners

See ravenous defined for kids

Examples of ravenous in a Sentence

By the time dinner was ready, we were ravenous.
we were ravenous after our canoe paddling, and the chili bubbling over the campfire smelled heavenly

Recent Examples of ravenous from the Web

The crowds were still ravenous in Washington, Mich., on Saturday, and Trump's approval numbers have ticked back up from their depths.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump's big gambit has paid off — at least for him.," 2 May 2018
In this sports-ravenous region, Henderson has made a niche for himself by hosting the area’s biggest sports celebrities at his Havertown store, Carl’s Cards and Collectibles, for autograph signings.

— stephanie farr, Philly.com, "Carl's Cards owner has hosted more than 600 Philly sports celebs | We the People," 2 May 2018
His digestive system turned on him, making his appetite ravenous.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: My cat thinks he's a dog but he's actually a lifesaver," 29 Apr. 2018
The film’s setting is an apocalyptic near-future where the planet’s population has been decimated by ravenous crustacean-looking aliens who possess supersensitive hearing.

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "3 movies you should check out in April," 26 Apr. 2018
Their pain is filtered and saturated for mass consumption, by a public ravenous for stories that affirm its sense of how brutal and ugly the country has become.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Kiri Is a British Import Worth Watching," 12 Apr. 2018
To continue the food analogy, Fox remains ravenous in his pursuit of trade deals and has been traveling across the globe to drum up interest.

— james masters, CNN, "From 'titanic success' to 'Mad Max': How language around Brexit changed," 27 Mar. 2018
Available for rent on Amazon Kathy Griffin: Balls of Steel (2012): Griffin's entire schtick is making fun of celebrities, so only the most ravenous pop-culture consumers should watch her stand-up.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "13 Essential Female Stand-Up Specials to Watch Right Now," 20 Mar. 2018
With a ravenous rock trio at her back, willowy singer Arrow de Wilde came on like a wild-eyed demon, and finished the set by dancing on the bar, leaping into the arms of a stranger, and parading out the back exit into the night.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "SXSW gets rolling: Pussy Riot and Superchunk roar, Starcrawler rolls," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ravenous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

ravishing or ravenous?

Ravenous and ravishing are not synonyms, and mixing these two words may lead to potentially awkward writing or conversation. Ravenous is commonly used with the meaning “very eager or greedy for food, satisfaction, or gratification,” and ravishing means “unusually attractive, pleasing, or striking.” If you find yourself hungry and standing in front of a spectacular-looking meal you would say (of the food) “that looks ravishing,” and (of yourself) “I am ravenous.” You may, of course, describe yourself as ravishing, but should be aware that you are commenting on your appearance rather than your hunger.