VORACIOUS

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does voracious mean? 

• VORACIOUS (adjective)
  The adjective VORACIOUS has 2 senses:

1. excessively greedy and grasping

2. devouring or craving food in great quantities

  Familiarity information: VORACIOUS used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• VORACIOUS (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Excessively greedy and grasping

Synonyms:

rapacious; ravening; voracious

Context example:

paying taxes to voracious governments

Similar:

acquisitive (eager to acquire and possess things especially material possessions or ideas)

Derivation:

voraciousness (an excessive desire for wealth (usually in large amounts))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Devouring or craving food in great quantities

Synonyms:

edacious; esurient; rapacious; ravening; ravenous; voracious; wolfish

Context example:

voracious sharks

Similar:

gluttonous (given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink)

Derivation:

voraciousness (extreme gluttony)

voraciousness (excessive desire to eat)

voracity (extreme gluttony)

voracity (excessive desire to eat)

 Context examples 

It was found that mice directly injected with NPGL exhibited a voracious appetite.

(New Appetite Control Mechanism Found in Brain, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The Outside dogs, whose digestions had not been trained by chronic famine to make the most of little, had voracious appetites.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Had the cub thought in man-fashion, he might have epitomised life as a voracious appetite and the world as a place wherein ranged a multitude of appetites, pursuing and being pursued, hunting and being hunted, eating and being eaten, all in blindness and confusion, with violence and disorder, a chaos of gluttony and slaughter, ruled over by chance, merciless, planless, endless.

(White Fang, by Jack London)