What does voracious mean?
Word: Voracious
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Voracious means eating very large amounts of food, or wanting a great deal of something such as knowledge.
Synonyms: ravenous, insatiable
Word origin: Comes from the Latin word vorax, from vorare, meaning to devour.
How do you spell voracious?
Syllables: vo - ra - cious
Tricky part: The sh sound near the end is the trap: students spell it with t or with sh, as they do in nation or fashion.
Watch out for: voratious, vorashious
Memory tip: Picture c and i as two hungry friends sharing one plate: they sit side by side where you hear sh.
Voracious in a sentence
Example 1: The voracious goats ate every leaf in the garden by noon.
Example 2: Her voracious curiosity about space filled three notebooks in one term.
Example 3: A growing puppy is voracious and always seems to be looking for its bowl.
Fun Fact
The Latin vorare also lies behind carnivore, herbivore and omnivore, the words for animals sorted by what they eat, and behind devour as well.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order: o, a, i
a) c_p_c_ous
b) f_r_c_ous
c) v_r_c_ous
d) t_n_c_ous
Show answer
c) v_r_c_ous. Those vowels make voracious; tenacious, capacious and ferocious each need a different first vowel.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
After the long trek, the boys finished the dal and rice in minutes, with ___ appetites.
a) voracious
b) audacious
c) loquacious
d) gregarious
Show answer
a) voracious. Only this adjective goes with an appetite; the others describe talk, company and daring.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) precocious
b) vorracious
c) efficacious
d) ostentatious
Show answer
b) vorracious. The r is single here, and the other three are spelt correctly.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ci' pronounced differently?
a) voracious
b) decimal
c) ancient
d) efficient
Show answer
b) decimal. Decimal has a plain s sound; in the other three these letters make sh.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which creature is most likely to be called a voracious feeder?
a) a hibernating bear
b) a resting python
c) a sleeping tortoise
d) a growing silkworm
Show answer
d) a growing silkworm
2. A voracious learner is someone who ___.
a) always wants to find out more
b) rarely finishes any homework
c) learns from only one teacher
d) studies only before exams
Show answer
a) always wants to find out more
