PREDATOR Synonyms: 16 Similar and Opposite Words

predator

noun

ˈpre-də-tər

Definition of predator

as in vampire

a person who habitually preys upon others measures taken to protect minors against sexual predators

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prey

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 predator Vulnerable voters must be protected, and vote predators should be hunted down and stopped. — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026 Nick Underdown, Scotland director for conservation group WildFish, noted that artificially fattening wild trout on commercial fish feed could alter their role as predators within freshwater ecosystems. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026 Born in 1946 amid the bombing of Frankfurt, Ruppert instead developed a psychosexual cosmology that rejected neat distinctions between prey and predator. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026 Jones argues that the standard template many people imagine when picturing a dragon—wings, reptilian scales, and sharp teeth—is a kind of composite of humanity’s earliest predators. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for predator

Recent Examples of Synonyms for predator

Noun

The countdown clock is ticking, and both Lestat the vampire and Lestat the TV season are frittering away their last moments on restating the facts.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026
The vampire saved the show from imminent cancelation, prompting a spike in ratings and a new direction away from a moody Jane Eyre-like gothic romance style to outright supernatural (if unintentionally campy) horror.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2026

Definition of vampire

Noun

These members of the order of Carnivora, which includes bears, wolves, felines, seals, and many other mammals that specialize in eating flesh, have found a way to reorganize themselves to take full advantage of all that city life has to offer.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, questioned the methodology, saying researchers collected scat only along roads and trails while excluding brushy areas where wolves may eat smaller prey.

— Scott Lebar. Story produced with AI assistance, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026

Definition of wolf

Browse Nearby Words

predations

predator

predators

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Predator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predator. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of predator

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on predator

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dog days

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes