Definition

1. Adjective:
   • (Of animals) both plant-eating and flesh-eating: Describes an animal that consumes both plant matter and animal flesh as part of its natural diet; omnivorous.
   • (Figurative) Consuming or destroying everything in its path: Used metaphorically to describe something that is insatiably greedy, destructive, or all-consuming in a non-literal sense.

Usage Examples

• Literal (Biological):
  • Bears are classic all-devouring animals, foraging for berries and hunting fish.
  • The all-devouring habits of raccoons allow them to thrive in diverse environments.
• Figurative:
  • The all-devouring fire consumed the entire forest.
  • He had an all-devouring ambition that left no room for personal relationships.

Advanced Usage

• "all-devouring greed": An insatiable desire for more (money, power, etc.).
  • The corporation's all-devouring greed led to environmental destruction.
• "all-devouring passion": An overwhelming, consuming enthusiasm or love.
  • Her all-devouring passion for music defined her life.

Variants and Related Words

• Omnivorous (adj): The standard biological term for an animal that eats both plants and meat.
  • Humans are omnivorous creatures.
• Voracious (adj): Having a huge appetite; wanting or consuming great quantities.
  • He was a voracious reader. (This word is often used figuratively and does not specify the type of food consumed).

Synonyms

• Omnivorous: (Specifically for the biological sense) Feeding on both plants and animals.
• Ravenous: Extremely hungry; voracious.
• Insatiable: Impossible to satisfy. (Commonly used in the figurative sense).

Related Phrases

• To devour everything in one's path: To destroy or consume everything encountered.
  • The locust swarm devoured everything in its path.

Related Idioms

• To have a bottomless pit for a stomach: (Informal idiom) To seem to be able to eat endlessly.
  • My teenage son has a bottomless pit for a stomach; he's all-devouring!

Adjective

1. (of animals) both plant-eating and flesh-eating