voracious

[vaw-rey-shuhs, vuh-]

adjective

1. craving or consuming large quantities of food.

   a voracious appetite.

2. exceedingly eager or avid.

   voracious readers; a voracious collector.

   Synonyms: insatiable, rapacious

voracious

/ vɒˈræsɪtɪ, vɒˈreɪʃəs /

adjective

1. devouring or craving food in great quantities

2. very eager or unremitting in some activity

   voracious reading

Other Word Forms

• voracity noun
• voraciously adverb
• voraciousness noun
• unvoracious adjective
• unvoraciousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of voracious¹

First recorded in 1625–35; voraci(ty) + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of voracious¹

C17: from Latin vorāx swallowing greedily, from vorāre to devour

Synonym Study

See ravenous.

Example Sentences

A voracious reader, Naidorf was especially fond of science magazines and pondering the cosmos.

From Los Angeles Times

The Atlanta child murders from 1979-81 had an equally profound impact on the fledgling writer, a voracious reader of novels across all genres.

From Los Angeles Times

One of their most important roles is controlling purple sea urchin populations, a species with a notoriously voracious appetite.

From Los Angeles Times

Even as far back as the 1940s, people knew that platypuses were voracious eaters.

From BBC

Then there are other times in which the voracious appetites can overtake the story.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• avid 
• insatiable 
• prodigious 
• rapacious 
• ravenous