all-devouring
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- 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
- (of animals) both plant-eating and flesh-eating