ravenous

adjective

rav·​en·​ous ˈra-və-nəs 

ˈrav-nəs

1

: rapacious

ravenous wolves

2

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

a ravenous appetite

ravenously adverb

ravenousness noun

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms

• edacious
• esurient
• gluttonous
• greedy
• hoggish
• piggish
• rapacious
• swinish
• voracious

Choose the Right Synonym for ravenous

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

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 on the Web

After the company’s share price plunged following an initial surge, the appetite to bet against the stock has grown even more ravenous. —Joe Rennison, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024

The brand always seemed adventurous and ambitious but not ravenous. —Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024

When The Hunger Games arrived on the big screen in 2012, it was greeted by a ravenous fan base ready to be immersed in the world of Panem. —Dustin Nelson, EW.com, 13 Oct. 2023

There was a similar phenomenon earlier this year with Stanley water bottles and the ravenous consumption of its tumblers. —Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

This is a food best eaten hungover in your pajamas, ravenous in the middle of a work-from-home day, or as my family does, in transit. —Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 23 Mar. 2024

Its story follows four queens mistakenly booked at a rural bar, where the uninspired crowd soon becomes a collective late-night snack for an army of vampires, with the queens ultimately tasked with saving the townsfolk from the ravenous threat. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2024

Flo Milli broke out in 2019, emerging in a ravenous culture of streaming and social media that doesn’t really afford her the luxury of long waits between albums. —Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024

For all the ravenous coverage of the royal family, some subjects are off limits. —Mark Landler, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ravynous, raveynous, from ravyn, raveyn "robbery, rapacity" + -ous -ous — more at ravin

Note: Alternatively, and perhaps more likely, ravynous, etc., may be a derivative of an unattested Middle English verb—see the note at raven entry 3.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ravenous

• ravenous appetite

Kids Definition

ravenous

adjective

rav·​en·​ous ˈrav-(ə-)nəs 

: very eager for food or satisfaction

ravenously adverb

ravenousness noun