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Devour vs Rapacious - What's the difference?

devour | rapacious |

As a verb devour

is to eat quickly, greedily, hungrily, or ravenously.

As an adjective rapacious is

voracious; avaricious.

devour

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To eat quickly, greedily, hungrily, or ravenously.
  • To rapidly destroy, engulf, or lay waste.
  • :
  • *Bible, (w) i. 20
  • If ye refuseye shall be devoured with the sword.
  • *{{quote-book, year=2006, author=(w)
  • , chapter=1, title= Internal Combustion , passage=Blast after blast, fiery outbreak after fiery outbreak, like a flaming barrage from within,
  • To take in avidly with the intellect.
  • :
  • *
  • *:Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy […] distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour.
  • To absorb or engross the mind fully, especially in a destructive manner.
  • :
  • Synonyms

    * gobble, gorge, consume, devastate, overwhelm, wolf

    rapacious

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Voracious; avaricious.
  • * 1787 , :
  • To presume a want of motives for such contests [of power between states] as an argument against their existence, would be to forget that men are ambitious, vindictive, and rapacious .
  • Given to taking by force or plundering; aggressively greedy.
  • * 1910 , :
  • A Prince [...] sooner becomes hated by being rapacious and by interfering with the property and with the women of his subjects, than in any other way.
  • Subsisting off live prey.
  • * 1827 , :
  • Even the rapacious birds appeared to comprehend the nature of the ceremony, for [...] they once more began to make their airy circuits above the place [...]

    Usage notes

    * The use of this term for animals other than birds is dated.

    Synonyms

    * See also