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Synonyms

ravening

American  
[rav-uh-ning] / ˈræv ə nɪŋ /

adjective

  1. rapacious; voracious.


noun

  1. rapacity.

ravening British  
/ ˈrævənɪŋ /

adjective

  1. (esp of animals such as wolves) voracious; predatory

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See ravenous.

Other Word Forms

  • raveningly adverb

Etymology

Origin of ravening

First recorded in 1520–30; raven 2 + -ing 2, -ing 1

Explanation

Someone who's ravening is ferociously hungry, like a wild animal. A ravening monster in a horror film hunts its prey for food. While a ravening wolf is fierce and brutal in its hunger, you can also use ravening to describe someone who acts wild or brutish in other ways. A businessman's ravening greed is so savage that he doesn't care who's hurt in his pursuit of money. A crowd of ravening children might dive for candy beneath a piñata, shoving each other out of the way. A now obsolete verb, raven, or "prey, plunder, or devour," is the root of ravenous.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing ravening

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He avoided opportunities to address the ravening reporters.

From Washington Post • Apr. 4, 2023

Britain’s ravening tabloids have been a bit more circumspect than usual about Harry’s return.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2021

The cat was big, but the desert dogs were bigger, and the cat would have had no chance against a ravening pack.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 30, 2019

In the post-apocalypse, you will … walk in Elvis’ blue suede shoes … ride in The King’s pink ’55 Cadillac … fend off swarms of the ravening undead.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 16, 2019

The other thing that accompanied the images was a ravening hunger.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville