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ravenously

ravenously

3 6.7
In a very hungry and eager way, like when you eat very fast
  • adverb
  • /ˈrævənəsli/
translation icon : vorazmente
  • The children were ravenously hungry after playing outside all day.
  • ravenously hungry
  • eat ravenously
  • ravenously devours

Examples

  • It was well after noon, and she found herself ravenously hungry again.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • After skipping breakfast, I arrived home ravenously eager to eat dinner.

  • I thought you might come home late and be ravenously hungry.

  • For some reason, Katy's generation is always ravenously hungry around four in the morning.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • John settles back into his chair and begins to eat ravenously.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • He had not touched the food, although she could see that he was ravenously hungry.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I washed a few dishes that were left on the counter, then fed the ravenously hungry little boys.

    Blog text (25)
  • Bathsheba ate ravenously, but her stomach still ached with hunger.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Angelo watches as Randolph ravenously eats a bowl of soup.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • By the end of the day, he was tense and exhausted—and ravenously hungry, even though Jake and Amy had shared their lunches with him.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

hungrily
vsravenously
7 1.0

In a way that shows a strong wish to eat

is stronger and more intense than simple physical need or desire
greedily
vsravenously
7 2.7

Wanting a lot in a very selfish way, often food or money

is about powerful hunger or eagerness rather than selfish wishing for possessions
voraciously
vsravenously
5 5.9

With strong hunger for food or learning

is focused more narrowly on very strong physical hunger and desire
rapaciously
vsravenously
  • Formal
1 9.3

Doing something in a greedy way by taking more than is needed

conveys strong appetite but not the predatory urge to seize extras
gluttonously
vsravenously
7.6

In a way that makes someone eat or drink too much

expresses intense appetite without necessarily implying excess or indulgence
piggishly
vsravenously
  • Offensive
8.3

In a greedy and messy way when eating

describes intense desire without the crude or insulting comparison
intemperately
vsravenously
  • Formal
9.1

In a way that is too much and shows no control

is about urgent hunger rather than a general lack of self control

How Hungry

voraciously
5 5.9
ravenously
3 6.7
hungrily
7 1.0

Surface Forms

ravenously positive
ravenouslyer comparative
ravenouslyest superlative

Morphology

ravenously = ravenous (semi-transparent) = raven + ous + ly

Formation to an adverb with '-ly' is transparent, but the adjective 'ravenous' is only partly transparent to learners since its meaning ('extremely hungry') is not obviously derivable from the bird 'raven' for many learners.

Etymology

Ravenously comes from the bird raven, a black bird people thought ate greedily, so a helpful image is of eating like that bird. So to do something ravenously is to do it 'very hungry' or 'with great eagerness'.