rapacious

adjective

ra·​pa·​cious rə-ˈpā-shəs 

1

: excessively grasping or covetous

2

: living on prey

3

: ravenous

a rapacious appetite

rapaciously adverb

rapaciousness noun

Synonyms

• edacious
• esurient
• gluttonous
• greedy
• hoggish
• piggish
• ravenous
• swinish
• voracious

Choose the Right Synonym for rapacious

voracious, gluttonous, ravenous, rapacious mean excessively greedy.

voracious applies especially to habitual gorging with food or drink.

teenagers are often voracious eaters

gluttonous applies to one who delights in eating or acquiring things especially beyond the point of necessity or satiety.

an admiral who was gluttonous for glory

ravenous implies excessive hunger and suggests violent or grasping methods of dealing with food or with whatever satisfies an appetite.

a nation with a ravenous lust for territorial expansion

rapacious often suggests excessive and utterly selfish acquisitiveness or avarice.

rapacious developers indifferent to environmental concerns

Examples of rapacious in a Sentence

nothing livens things up like a whole team of rapacious basketball players descending upon the pizza parlor

rapacious mammals, such as coyotes, foxes, and bobcats

Recent Examples on the Web

Remmick is a monster, but his homeland was colonized by some of the same rapacious forces that brought the twins’ ancestors to America. —Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 2 May 2025

That voter initiative in the early 20th century made the commission the primary protector of California’s families and businesses against rapacious or unsafe electric and gas utilities. —Loretta Lynch, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2025

Without a Yanukovych presidency, the Ukrainian government and armed forces might not have atrophied, and a rapacious kleptocracy might not have taken hold. —Alexander Vindman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Aug. 2022

But providing that service shouldn’t require charging rapacious fees that exploit the most financially vulnerable. —Jemima McEvoy, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin rapāc-, rapāx "given to seizing or catching things (as prey), carrying away, excessively grasping" (from rapere "to seize and carry off" + -āc-, -āx, deverbal suffix denoting habitual or successful performance) + -ious — more at rapid entry 1, audacious

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rapacious

• pertinacious
• pugnacious

Kids Definition

rapacious

adjective

ra·​pa·​cious rə-ˈpā-shəs 

1

: very greedy

2

: predatory sense 2

rapaciously adverb

rapaciousness noun