What does gormandize mean?
Gormandize is a literary verb meaning to eat greedily or feast lavishly, especially with obvious disregard for moderation. It describes behavior rather than ordinary appetite: someone who gormandizes does not merely enjoy a meal but consumes an excessive or conspicuous amount. The word can sound formal, archaic, or deliberately colorful, so writers often use it to portray a character as gluttonous, comic, or excessive. In modern everyday English, “feast” or “gorge oneself” will usually sound more natural. Its interest lies in its history and tone: the verb crystallizes the idea of gluttony into a memorable, slightly grand-sounding action. A sentence such as “The guests gormandized until dawn” therefore conveys both the physical act of eating and a moral or comic suggestion of excess. Though rarely needed in neutral description, it is useful when an author wants old-fashioned flavor or a distinctly critical perspective.
verbTo eat voraciously or feast extravagantly; to gorge oneself.
- To eat greedily or excessively, especially at a feast.
"At the wedding feast, he seemed to gormandize until every platter had been picked clean."
"After the lecture, the hungry scholars gormandized on pies and cold chicken."
"Every time she gormandizes at a buffet, she regrets it by noon."
Gormandize is a feast of a verb: it makes gluttony sound grand enough to put on a playbill.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gormandize come from?
Gormandize was formed in English from gormand, a word for a glutton or greedy eater, with the verbal suffix -ize. Its base came through French gormand, a Romance term associated with voracious eating and closely related to gourmand and gourmandise. English now uses the verb chiefly in literary or deliberately archaic contexts.
Related word forms
How gormandize is actually used
Rare and chiefly literary or deliberately old-fashioned. It generally carries a negative or humorous connotation of greed and excess, although its elevated tone can add comic grandeur.