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Devour vs Strive - What's the difference?

devour | strive |

As verbs the difference between devour and strive

is that devour is to eat quickly, greedily, hungrily, or ravenously while strive is to try to achieve a result; to make strenuous effort; to try earnestly and persistently.

As a noun strive is

an effort; a striving.

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

    strive

    English

    Verb

  • To try to achieve a result; to make strenuous effort; to try earnestly and persistently.
    • He strove to excel.
  • To struggle in opposition; to be in contention or dispute; to contend; to contest.
    • to strive against fate
    to strive for the truth
  • * Denham
    • Now private pity strove with public hate, / Reason with rage, and eloquence with fate.
  • To vie; to compete as a rival.
  • * Milton
    • [Not] that sweet grove / Of Daphne, by Orontes and the inspired / Castalian spring, might with this paradise / Of Eden strive .

    Usage notes

    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See * The strong or irregular forms "strove" and "striven" are more commonly used in print than "strived".

    Related terms

    * (l)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) An effort; a striving.
    • (Chapman)
  • (obsolete) strife; contention

    • External links

    * *

    Anagrams

    * * English control verbs English irregular verbs