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 The ravenous larvae create ghastly wounds that can be deadly to livestock and wild animals. Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025 Sawflies are ravenous insects that feed on a wide variety of landscape trees, shrubs, and conifers. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025 For seven years, Michael Polsky has been trying to build a high-voltage power line from the windswept prairies of Kansas to the ravenous electrical grids of the Midwest and East Coast. Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025 The one 49ers player who was perhaps hardest hit by the ravenous injury bug was running back Christian McCaffrey. Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ravenous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ravenous
Adjective
  • Because even in a world of monsters, ghouls, and greedy jerks, the good guys still prevail.
    Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Both love rich, moist soil and neither one is greedy with space in the garden.
    Heather Bien, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Going into the weekend, the expectation was that McLaren would dominate, given the high temperatures in Austin and the tire-hungry demands of COTA, previously noteworthy strengths for the team over its competitors.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Change Halloween to the Fourth of July and a relentless maniac to a hungry shark, and Steven Spielberg's iconic blockbuster might as well be a seabound slasher.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The Arizona real-estate developer, 43, has been developing land across the Grand Canyon State for data centers for several years, cashing in on tech companies’ voracious need for spaces to power their AI operations.
    Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Kate Prouty, the chief information officer at Akamai Technologies, says workers at the cybersecurity and cloud computing company have developed a voracious appetite for artificial intelligence.
    John Kell, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ravenous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ravenous. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.

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