Synonym Chooser

How is the word ravenous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of ravenous are gluttonous, rapacious, and voracious. While all these words mean "excessively greedy," 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

In what contexts can gluttonous take the place of ravenous?

The meanings of gluttonous and ravenous largely overlap; however, 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

When might rapacious be a better fit than ravenous?

The words rapacious and ravenous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rapacious often suggests excessive and utterly selfish acquisitiveness or avarice.

rapacious developers indifferent to environmental concerns

When can voracious be used instead of ravenous?

The words voracious and ravenous can be used in similar contexts, but voracious applies especially to habitual gorging with food or drink.

teenagers are often voracious eaters

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 ravenous Berg also interviews Buckley’s bandmates and peers, like guitarist Michael Tighe, drummer Matt Johnson, Aimee Mann, and Ben Harper, and each of them speaks of Buckley’s ravenous and eclectic musical appetite. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 6 Aug. 2025 Sophie's scandal was related to photos taken while on vacation and sold to the ravenous British press by a friend. Meredith Kile, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025 For many years the ravenous far left in Connecticut has advocated taxing Yale University in New Haven. Chris Powell, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2025 The first film offered only a taste of the vibrant culture and history of Wakanda, and audiences seemed ravenous for more. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for ravenous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ravenous
Adjective
  • Fleming and Iwamasa, as well as greedy ketamine providing doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez have all previously entered guilty pleas in the Perry case.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Women are greedy, untrustworthy, weak and inferior, these influencers say.
    Will Carless, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The freezing rain then traps lichen under a thick layer of ice where hungry reindeer can’t reach the food, according to Anna Skarin, a reindeer husbandry expert and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences professor.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
  • These facilities, dense with high-performance servers and cooling systems, are among the most power-hungry assets in the country.
    Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Well, utilities are getting a lot of attention as a way to play AI’s voracious appetite for electricity.
    Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • These butterflies utilize cole crop foliage for laying eggs, out of which hatch voracious larvae that decimate the foliage and put an end to your fantasies about a hefty cole crop harvest.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 29 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ravenous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ravenous. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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