ravenous

[ rav-uh-nuhs ]
/ ˈræv ə nəs /

adjective

extremely hungry; famished; voracious: feeling ravenous after a hard day's work.
extremely rapacious: a ravenous jungle beast.
intensely eager for gratification or satisfaction.

Origin of ravenous

1350–1400; Middle English < Old French ravineus, equivalent to ravin(er) to raven2 + -eus -ous

SYNONYMS FOR ravenous

1 greedy, starved, devouring. Ravenous, ravening, voracious suggest a greediness for food and usually intense hunger. Ravenous implies extreme hunger, or a famished condition: ravenous wild beasts. Ravening adds the idea of fierceness and savagery, especially as shown in a violent manner of acquiring food: ravening wolves. Voracious implies craving or eating a great deal of food: a voracious child; a voracious appetite. It may also be used figuratively: a voracious reader.
2 predatory.

ANTONYMS FOR ravenous

1 sated.

OTHER WORDS FROM ravenous

rav·en·ous·ly, adverb rav·en·ous·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ravenous

ravenous ravaging ravishing (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby ravenous

Example sentences from the Web for ravenous

British Dictionary definitions for ravenous

ravenous
/ (ˈrævənəs) /

adjective

famished; starving
rapacious; voracious

Derived forms of ravenous

ravenously, adverb ravenousness, noun

Word Origin for ravenous

C16: from Old French ravineux, from Latin rapīna plunder, from rapere to seize