1
as in greedy
having a huge appetite
nothing livens things up like a whole team of rapacious basketball players descending upon the pizza parlor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in predatory
living by killing and eating other animals
rapacious mammals, such as coyotes, foxes, and bobcats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mercenary
having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions
rapacious plunderers who despoiled the tombs in the ancient pyramids
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rapacious
Of abuse and coercion by rapacious family members eager to get their hands on an inheritance.
—
Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 25 Mar. 2025
If anything, his regime grew more predatory, more rapacious, more violent in the past few years.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
The rapacious Chicago Teachers Union took advantage of an inexperienced Mayor Lori Lightfoot, ramming legislation through Springfield phasing out mayoral control of public schools.
—Forrest Claypool, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
Such support might marginally improve Chad’s rapacious security sector.
—Nathaniel K. Powell, Foreign Affairs, 1 Feb. 2016
See All Example Sentences for rapacious
Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 25 Mar. 2025
If anything, his regime grew more predatory, more rapacious, more violent in the past few years.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
The rapacious Chicago Teachers Union took advantage of an inexperienced Mayor Lori Lightfoot, ramming legislation through Springfield phasing out mayoral control of public schools.
—Forrest Claypool, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
Such support might marginally improve Chad’s rapacious security sector.
—Nathaniel K. Powell, Foreign Affairs, 1 Feb. 2016
See All Example Sentences for rapacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rapacious
Adjective
-
Bad guys are selfish, greedy, and prone to speeches.—
John DeVore,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Robert Redford delivers folksy wisdom as a local eccentric who once had his own dragon encounter, and even Karl Urban’s greedy logger is more of a nuisance than an outright villain.—
Josh Bell,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Juveniles responded with significantly more predatory behaviors in response to the calls of toxic toads compared with the adults.—
Logan S. James,
The Conversation,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Fintechs that can’t adapt in real time could be stuck holding the bag, or, worse, pushing their clients into predatory lending rates just to hedge new risks.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
And how to be optimally developmental and transactional in an increasingly mercenary environment.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2025
-
The prominent credit-card swiper offers 15 minutes for the high price of $15, and the show follows up on the Gemstones’ mercenary shamelessness later when someone working the telethon phone bank asks for a donor’s routing number.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Regardless of their general publisher designation, the ravenous architects of Hungry Minds want to be known beyond the world of reading.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Once everyone had a turn, the tables were opened for ravenous seconds, thirds and fourths, until no crumbs were left behind.—
Simon J. Levien,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The comedy-drama follows a Gen Z content creator who returns to her ancestral home seeking viral material, only to encounter her deceased brother’s ghost while dealing with avaricious relatives.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2025
-
This nation state, my home, is built on a quagmire of lies sold to the young as truths; sold to the insecure as truths; sold by the avaricious, the power-hungry, the conceited, the overwhelmingly white and male.—
Christine Winter,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In many parts of the world, the radical belief in popular sovereignty undid the hold of the notion of the divine right of kings, just as expanding commerce created a wealthy merchant class eager for greater political say.—
Jennifer M. Harris,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
-
The market is eager for trade deals that can help remove some of the worst-case scenarios before the tariffs inflict serious damage on the economy.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Thanks to Jenner’s hundreds of millions of followers on Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media, Jenner had easy and essentially costless access to an acquisitive demographic.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Like other acquisitive companies, the integration of technology was sub-optimal.—
Peter High,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rapacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapacious. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share