Definition of voraciousnext

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of voracious are gluttonous, rapacious, and ravenous. While all these words mean "excessively greedy," voracious applies especially to habitual gorging with food or drink.

teenagers are often voracious eaters

When could gluttonous be used to replace voracious?

In some situations, the words gluttonous and voracious are roughly equivalent. 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 can rapacious be used instead of voracious?

While the synonyms rapacious and voracious are close in meaning, rapacious often suggests excessive and utterly selfish acquisitiveness or avarice.

rapacious developers indifferent to environmental concerns

When might ravenous be a better fit than voracious?

While in some cases nearly identical to voracious, 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

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 voracious Our mum’s a voracious reader and really instilled reading. Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 May 2026 That’s a good thing, too, because Florida’s need for nurses is voracious. South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 20 May 2026 Belonging to the same group of mammals as sloths and anteaters, armadillos are voracious insectivores that eat large numbers of beetles, grubs, ants, termites, and other insects, grabbing them with their sticky tongues. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 19 May 2026 The voracious energy demands of AI data centers have driven up electric prices in some regions and launched a moneymaking energy-sector construction boom. Marc Levy, Fortune, 17 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for voracious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for voracious
Adjective
  • People have to suffer in order for people to be really greedy.
    Maria Bamford, Vulture, 22 May 2026
  • The main culprit for labor’s shrinking share of the economic pie is government policy, not greedy corporations.
    Scott Lincicome, Washington Post, 11 May 2026
Adjective
  • In her free time, Grohl is an avid lover of anything paranormal.
    Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
  • The print itself, hand-painted by Garcia, was inspired by a cherry pie baked by Kim, who’s an avid gardener, for one of their Monse clients, Instagram creator Chriselle Lim.
    Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • The basic question of the case, which is also the basic question of Altman’s career, is whether the transmogrification of OpenAI from a safety-minded nonprofit into a ravenous corporate behemoth was cynical in intention or merely in outcome.
    Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
  • Scenes from this film-within-a-film play out in full, and feature Emma Mackey as a damsel escaping a hungry, humanoid fish creature, while a pair of mad scientists, played by comedy duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, attempt to study the ravenous creature.
    Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Adjective
  • The first memorandum approval was enthusiastic.
    Nicolas Villamil, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2026
  • Petro cited this statement at a public rally to enthusiastic applause.
    Roberto Andrés, The Dial, 28 May 2026
Adjective
  • Hummingbirds are hungry little creatures.
    Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 May 2026
  • Zaeem Jafri won the Food category with his image of steaming dumplings and hungry customers at a food stall in Seoul.
    Sam Peters, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • Saint Alvarez, 10, and his father, Santiago, 46, have frequented many air shows and were just as excited to be in the crowd yet again.
    Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 25 May 2026
  • Wyatt left town on an ambiguous note that Brooks is excited to clarify.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
Adjective
  • Wembanyama has often appeared eager to separate himself from those comparisons.
    Devon Henderson, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • For that, an assist goes to his dogs, the late Zoey and now Mila, who were eager participants on those data-collecting excursions.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 May 2026
Adjective
  • Gillie described his friend as an ardent supporter of free speech who would regularly espouse the right that everyone is entitled to their opinion free from harm.
    Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
  • The other issue on fans’ minds this weekend is whether La Familia, Inter Miami’s ardent fan group, will be back to its usual noisy, spirited selves Sunday after staging an 85-minute silent protest during last Sunday’s 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers.
    Michelle Kaufman May 22, Miami Herald, 22 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Voracious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/voracious. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on voracious

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster