as in interesting
holding the attention or provoking interest
didn't find the plot of the novel particularly consuming
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in devouring
to destroy all trace of
massive fires had consumed hundreds of square miles of forest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spending
to make complete use of
the mining company consumed all of the local mineral resources and then moved on
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in eating
to take in as food
hungry enough to consume most of the pie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of consuming
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2025
But he’s never stopped hunting, perhaps the most consuming pastime of his life.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025
In the depths of the first movement, immediately before Tchaikovsky’s most consuming cry of desolation, the bassoons, basses and timpani hold a low F sharp, for just a beat and a half.
—David Allen, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2022
By mid-August, that fear was no less consuming.
—Heidi Levine, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2022
The hero is Alice, wife to Jack, who finds a job in the all-consuming but rather mysterious Victory Project.
—James Medd, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2022
Ratajkowski frames the development of her political consciousness as a process born of self-consciousness, a cancerous and consuming view of the self that the writer argues was pushed on her by patriarchal capitalist society.
—Jordan Taliha McDonald, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2021
Franzen’s most consuming interest is the existential distress that so often molders within a disintegrating household.
—Becca Rothfeld, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2021
For Stone, who now lives in South Carolina, one of the most consuming challenges was the anxiety of setting a camera trap and then walking away, sometimes for days at a time, with no control over what might happen next.
—Steven Bedard, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2019
JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Other methods use enzymes to isolate cells, but those procedures are time consuming and can threaten useful cell characteristics.
—Perri Thaler, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025
Though the disease is not known to spread to people, the CDC recommends against consuming meat from infected deer, and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials said people should not eat meat from animals that look sick or in poor condition.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
However, both contain a similar amount of sodium per serving, so experts recommend consuming them in moderation.
—Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2025
The agency noted that symptoms can appear from a few days to up to two months after consuming contaminated food.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Republicans meanwhile have pushed against expansion, especially by supporting voter ID laws, which can make voting more time consuming, and in some cases, may require people to pay fees to secure IDs (which critics liken to a poll tax).
—Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Conventional cleanup techniques often worsen the problem by disturbing soil structures and consuming large amounts of energy.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Wasting hours each day consuming short-form video content.
—Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
But that’s a less consuming point to Kelce now than ever before.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2025
But he’s never stopped hunting, perhaps the most consuming pastime of his life.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025
In the depths of the first movement, immediately before Tchaikovsky’s most consuming cry of desolation, the bassoons, basses and timpani hold a low F sharp, for just a beat and a half.
—David Allen, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2022
By mid-August, that fear was no less consuming.
—Heidi Levine, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2022
The hero is Alice, wife to Jack, who finds a job in the all-consuming but rather mysterious Victory Project.
—James Medd, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2022
Ratajkowski frames the development of her political consciousness as a process born of self-consciousness, a cancerous and consuming view of the self that the writer argues was pushed on her by patriarchal capitalist society.
—Jordan Taliha McDonald, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2021
Franzen’s most consuming interest is the existential distress that so often molders within a disintegrating household.
—Becca Rothfeld, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2021
For Stone, who now lives in South Carolina, one of the most consuming challenges was the anxiety of setting a camera trap and then walking away, sometimes for days at a time, with no control over what might happen next.
—Steven Bedard, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2019
Verb
Nutrient-rich agricultural runoff and sewage cause huge algal blooms, and when these algae die and sink, bacteria bloom in turn, consuming so much oxygen that few other organisms survive at lower depths.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Other methods use enzymes to isolate cells, but those procedures are time consuming and can threaten useful cell characteristics.
—Perri Thaler, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025
Though the disease is not known to spread to people, the CDC recommends against consuming meat from infected deer, and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials said people should not eat meat from animals that look sick or in poor condition.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
However, both contain a similar amount of sodium per serving, so experts recommend consuming them in moderation.
—Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2025
The agency noted that symptoms can appear from a few days to up to two months after consuming contaminated food.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Republicans meanwhile have pushed against expansion, especially by supporting voter ID laws, which can make voting more time consuming, and in some cases, may require people to pay fees to secure IDs (which critics liken to a poll tax).
—Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Conventional cleanup techniques often worsen the problem by disturbing soil structures and consuming large amounts of energy.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Wasting hours each day consuming short-form video content.
—Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consuming
Adjective
-
Suddenly, sincerity felt like a fresher approach to a contemporary political story—more interesting, more unexpected, and more aligned with my artistic ethos.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Krasinski also has the least interesting yet very successful Hollywood career imaginable, but that doesn’t mean he should be exiled or worse.—
Choire Sicha,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This is the painstaking process of counting and measuring every stud, sheet of drywall, window, and baseboard from 2D plans, quietly devouring time and budgets.—
Jon Stojan,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Brown’s descendants, and their spouses, are responsible for pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the community and spending countless hours serving on local nonprofit boards.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The Blackhawks are still spending more time in the defensive zone and less time in the offensive zone compared to other NHL teams.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This could make eating more enjoyable, leading to eating more.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The video showed dozens of videos and pictures sent to her, all featuring people eating McDonald's fries as a show of solidarity.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The production journey has involved balancing the original promise of the short film while creating an engaging genre piece.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Users can create immersive, emotionally engaging performances with this feature, without the need for technical review.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In the moments before Murphy’s goal, Jarrod Bowen had struck the right post, but the sense of hope draining from West Ham’s ground was lost on Howe’s players.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
According to the GoFundMe, which was started by Wall, Leo is facing a long recovery and currently has a tube draining saliva.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In today’s housing market, even the lucky ones often face exhausting ordeals and need to stretch their budgets to land a home.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Betelgeuse, formally known as Alpha Orionis, will one day end its life in a spectacular supernova explosion upon exhausting the last of its fuel, which could be as bright as the full moon.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Her own book trades on a similarly absorbing, escapist allure.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Rivera’s writing is well worth experiencing, and what’s on stage at Penumbra is an imaginative and deeply absorbing staging, which, despite its darkness, offers a sense of hope and faith in humanity.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Consuming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consuming. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share