ravenous

[ˈɹævənəs]
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A ravenous person or animal has an extremely strong desire for food and will eat as much as they can. When we say someone or something is ravenous, it usually means they need to eat immediately.

When we use the word "ravenous", it often refers to a situation where someone is so hungry that they'll devour anything in sight. Imagine you're on a long hike and have been walking for hours without eating - by the time you stop at a picnic table, you might be ravenous! In this case, you wouldn't just eat a sandwich or an apple; you'd probably gobble down as much food as you can get your hands on. This is what it means to be ravenous.

The word "ravenous" also has a slightly different meaning when used in a more formal context, such as in medicine or science. In these cases, ravenous usually refers to an animal's instinctual drive to hunt and eat prey, often using language that sounds a bit technical - for example: "the ravenous hunger of a wolf."

How common is "ravenous"?

Word ravenous is considered rare in modern English.
It appears most frequently in fiction texts and less often in other writings.
Definitions

adjective

  • Very hungry.

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starving

Real examples of "ravenous" in context

Bowl image

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