predatory

adjective

pred·​a·​to·​ry ˈpre-də-ˌtȯr-ē 

1

a

: of, relating to, or practicing plunder, pillage, or rapine

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

• rapacious
• aggressive
• predacious
• predaceous
• raptorial
• deadly
• wild
• violent
• ferocious

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

Birds, parasitic wasps, ladybugs, and other predatory insects are enemies of fall armyworms. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Oct. 2025

Growth done right means building thriving, connected communities where families can live, work, and play without spending hours stuck in traffic or paying predatory toll prices just to move. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Oct. 2025

People implemented racist clauses in housing deeds and rejected or offered outrageously predatory lending terms to nonwhites, permitting exceptions occasionally to Asians only by assuming their proximity to whiteness or to American militarism. —Arabelle Sicardi, Allure, 9 Oct. 2025

Many domestic textile executives report a downturn in production and shuttered plants due to global trade pressure and predatory trade practices by foreign competitors. —Kimberly Glas, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025

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
• extempore
• feudatory

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