predatory

adjective

pred·​a·​to·​ry ˈpre-də-ˌtȯr-ē 

1

a

: of, relating to, or practicing plunder or pillage

b

: inclined or intended to injure or exploit others for personal gain or profit

predatory pricing practices

2

: living by predation : predaceous

also : adapted to predation

Synonyms of predatory

• rapacious
• aggressive
• predaceous
• raptorial
• deadly
• ferocious
• wild
• savage

Examples of predatory in a Sentence

Hawks are predatory and may pose a danger to rabbits and other small pets.

The company made millions for investors but clearly engaged in predatory lending practices.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hunt, who heads a women’s rights advocacy group called Reckoning Action, told CNN that she is not being paid by any campaigns and is motivated only by a desire to hold predatory men to account. — Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

In some cases, a facility’s license may be suspended or revoked, but this does not prevent their owners from opening up a new (substance abuse) treatment facility nearby and continuing the predatory schemes there. — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 5 July 2026

By the time the iPhone 18 Pro is revealed, the $200 premium will no longer feel predatory—instead, consumers will regard it as a uniform response across the industry to prevailing market conditions. — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

These platforms that drive comparison and isolation also feed predatory sports betting, exploitative content, and the kind of solitary scrolling that displaces sleep, friendship, and exercise. — Wes Moore, STAT, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for predatory

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• dormitory
• excretory
• feudatory
• gustatory

Kids Definition

predatory

adjective

pred·​a·​to·​ry ˈpred-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

1

: of, relating to, or marked by robbing or using others for personal gain

predatory raids

2

: living by predation

predatory animals

Legal Definition

predatory

adjective

pred·​a·​to·​ry ˈpre-də-ˌtōr-ē 

1

: inclined or intended to injure competitors by unfair means

subject to antitrust liability for predatory conduct

—National Law Journal

predatory bidding

2

: inclined or intended to injure or exploit others for personal gain or profit

predatory loans

3

: of or relating to a sexual predator

predatory assault