DEVOURING Synonyms: 145 Similar and Opposite Words

devouring 1 of 2

adjective

as in gobbling

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Dissimilar Words

devouring

2 of 2

verb

present participle of devour

as in consuming

to destroy all trace of a series of devastating storms devoured the beach on the south side of the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in spending

to make complete use of a catastrophic medical event that devoured their savings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in inhaling

to swallow or eat greedily the starving villagers simply devoured the relief food

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of devouring

Adjective

That wall of water roared downstream, smashing and devouring. — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026 Family drama fueled by Dorothy's world-devouring, man-eating antics aside, Scarpetta is also aiming to separate itself from the competition by leveraging a unique narrative structure that essentially adapts two of Cornwell's books in a single season. — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026

Verb

Raised in a working-class family in the English county of Essex, Jordan was a dedicated reader, who grew up devouring books by Jacqueline Wilson and Malorie Blackman. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026 The Milky Way has something of a torrid and violent history, given that our galaxy has fueled its own growth by cannibalistically devouring smaller galaxies. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Observers were treated to the gruesome sight of ravens hacking open unattended eggs and devouring the contents. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 The comedy icon, who turned 100 in June, was born in the silent era and grew up in Brooklyn devouring double bills at his neighborhood theater in the 1930s. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Even fussy kids were devouring their slices and were largely eating their crusts. — Laura Ness, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026 Sainsbury was inspired to create the podcast after devouring hit true crime pods like Serial, The Teacher’s Pet and Amanda Knox’s Blood Money and realizing there was a clear parody angle. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026 The cave was used to film scenes with Polyphemus, the Cyclops who traps Odysseus and his crew in his cave before devouring several of the men. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026 And further back than that—the child my mother still describes, devouring books one after another, genre irrelevant. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devouring

Adjective

The zaobanchu during Qianlong’s reign comprised nearly one thousand artisans, who worked out of fear to serve the demands of the insatiable emperor who would sometimes dole out severe punishments, like taking away a year’s salary.

— Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Add to the mix what seems to be an insatiable demand for debt by tech companies to build data centers and other infrastructure for artificial intelligence.

— Matt Peterson, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of insatiable

Verb

Studies have proven that regularly consuming whole grains has a positive effect on health, reducing certain markers that indicate chronic inflammation.

— Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2026
The cooking process greatly reduces that risk, as does storing the cooked garlic and oil at a temperature below 38° and consuming them within 2 weeks.

— Jeremy Fox, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of consuming

Verb

Willy Kurniawan | Reuters Indonesia may have trouble meeting its economic-growth goals for the coming year, after spending 2026 on the defensive amid questions about fiscal outlays and the prospects of a downgrade from MSCI.

— Celestine Iyer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
For now, the Coalition for Prediction Markets is spending a fraction of Kalshi’s direct lobbying expenses.

— Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of spending

Verb

And in the summer working, caring for the garden, cultivating my plants, my food, inhaling the sun, seeing my skin become brown just as the flowers are also growing their colours, and my beloved garden plants are delivering their brilliant food.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
More studies are showing the wide-ranging negative health impacts of inhaling wildfire smoke, which is especially toxic when blazes tear through urban areas and burn up household appliances, batteries and chemicals.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of inhaling

Verb

Libra September 23 – October 22 The routine that keeps draining you may need a more compassionate rhythm.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
The law paved the way for thousands of victims to sue their abusers but has been criticized for draining the coffers of local governments.

— Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of draining

Verb

The everyday cost of war Six months of conflict and severe economic hardship have made daily life exhausting for regular Iranians.

— Greg Myre, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
For Cameron, who spent decades exhausting HIV treatment options as his virus developed resistance, among the biggest benefits may be that the two-drug regimen effectively controls his virus while exposing him to fewer medications.

— Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of exhausting

Verb

The actress was surprised when, in her estimation, Jacobs was cramming more Boy Meets World into the follow-up show than she had been led to believe.

— Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 2026
The roommates’ incompatible goals and perennial brokeness lead to side-splitting conflicts, with Shelby cramming for her GED while Kaitlin’s greatest ambition is to throw an epic island party.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of cramming

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devouring

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Style

“Devouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devouring. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of devouring

adjective

verb

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