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 After years of lobbying from various fishing interests who maintain the species not only made a comeback, but were wiping out other species because of their voracious appetites, the FWC agreed in 2022 to open a very limited goliath grouper season. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 10 June 2025 The voracious pachyderm finally backed out of the store, a bag of snacks still clasped in his trunk. Chelsea Chan, NBC news, 5 June 2025 This year’s testing comes amid an increase in an invasive mosquito that is known for its voracious appetite and rapid spread that has alarmed state entomologists. Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2025 Last season, Spurs were the Premier League’s most voracious pressers, allowing an average of 8.8 passes before attempting to win the ball back. Elias Burke, New York Times, 8 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for voracious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for voracious
Adjective
  • People often stereotype crypto investors as reckless, young, or greedy.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 18 June 2025
  • To be patient but not to be greedy, Lilian thought now, studying Maureen’s pale eyelids.
    Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025
Adjective
  • Trump has been an avid proponent of reshoring U.S. manufacturing, using tariffs as a leverage to convince companies to build plants in the U.S. and attacking Apple for manufacturing its iPhones in Asia.
    Danny Bakst, Fortune, 26 June 2025
  • Residents who live near a fishing location, spend a lot of time near the water or are avid boaters are encouraged to get involved.
    Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • This is epic fantasy set in a big world with a mysterious past (as well as a ravenous fungal ghost plague!).
    Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 13 June 2025
  • But there’s also a ravenous demand for easy escapism.
    Katie Marie Davies, Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2025
Adjective
  • From there, fans were excited about the existence of an unreleased song between the two Colombian stars, who confirmed their romantic relationship in 2023.
    Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
  • His uncle is clearly excited and expecting big things from him.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • In an entertainment world no longer dominated by linear TV, every league is hungry to become the center of conversations du jour.
    Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 17 June 2025
  • Breyer had 1,000 Zoom viewers last week, the maximum the software can hold, showing that the public is hungry to see and hear what is happening inside of the public courts.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 17 June 2025
Adjective
  • Their silence is not surprising—the Trump administration has been eager to punish individual colleges, especially those that speak out against administration policies.
    Emma Whitford, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
  • Psyche will be the first metallic, or M-type, asteroid visited by any spacecraft, and scientists are eager to study an object that's largely made of metals—probably iron, nickel, and perhaps some rarer elements— instead of rocky minerals.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • The clock is ticking down on Trump's 90-day pause on those tariffs — but institutional investors are actually growing more enthusiastic about emerging markets, according to Bank of America's most recent Fund Manager Survey.
    Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 19 June 2025
  • But that outlook changed dramatically under Chip Kelly, who was neither energetic nor enthusiastic about high school recruiting.
    Antonio Morales, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Adjective
  • Trump is also facing growing skepticism about deepening U.S. involvement in the Mideast crisis from some of his most ardent supporters.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 June 2025
  • The prospect of potential U.S. military action in Iran is facing strong resistance from within the MAGA movement, with some of President Donald Trump's most ardent supporters urging him not join Israel in conducting air strikes.
    Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 18 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Voracious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/voracious. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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