as in rapacious
living by killing and eating other animals
hawks are predatory and pose a danger to rabbits and other pets
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Recent Examples of predatory
This predatory dynamic leaves consumers powerless and leads to market failure.
—
Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
Hochul recently signed positive legislation to curb predatory litigation-lending practices, but more needs to be done to ensure these funding contracts do not remain hidden from courts and those involved in the litigation.
—Elizabeth Heck, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Payday loans are short-term loans with high interest rates and fees and are often considered predatory lending.
—Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
The extensive burrow systems created by groundhogs are designed to serve as protection from predatory enemies.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predatory
Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
Hochul recently signed positive legislation to curb predatory litigation-lending practices, but more needs to be done to ensure these funding contracts do not remain hidden from courts and those involved in the litigation.
—Elizabeth Heck, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Payday loans are short-term loans with high interest rates and fees and are often considered predatory lending.
—Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
The extensive burrow systems created by groundhogs are designed to serve as protection from predatory enemies.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predatory
Adjective
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But then there is the rapacious Bavarian and national media, for whom negativity about Bayern is big business, and a dressing room always loaded with forthright personalities and egos.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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Carville’s theory was and remains controversial—his critics point to the lasting damage Trump has inflicted everywhere since his rapacious return to office while the Democrats have looked on haplessly.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The operation also resulted in the killing of two US citizens, the deployment of aggressive tactics by armed, masked DHS agents, and a soaring sense of trepidation permeating Minnesota’s immigrant communities.—
Yahya Salem,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Torres Hidalgo had been diagnosed with the rare and aggressive form of soft tissue cancer in December 2024.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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These food-crops also benefit from the work performed by predaceous insects that control populations of crop-eating invertebrates.—
Bruce Beehler,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Aug. 2025
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Biological control: Parasitic wasps, predaceous beetles and birds assist in lowering sawfly populations.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Villegas pushed for the original measure after dangerous speeding and red-light running by raptorial tow drivers ended in a nearly catastrophic crash in his ward that saw a bus that had been hit by a tow truck plow through a storefront.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
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Damsel bugs are slender and tan-colored and have slightly raptorial front legs.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 July 2023
Adjective
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His party successfully capitalized on rising nationalism fueled by a deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia last year, economic woes and uncertainty over Thailand’s trade relationship with the United States, and built up a strong local support base.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Prosecutors say Gray gave his son the weapon used in the deadly shooting for Christmas in 2023, months after his son had been accused of threatening a school shooting online.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This time, the soloist was the stellar emerging pianist Yunchan Lim, who keeps to himself, either lost in dreamy reverie or, like a jumpy teenager, in ferocious attack mode.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Fullerton's ferocious winds toppled trees onto homes, cars and trucks, jolting neighbors awake early Wednesday morning.—
Michele Gile,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Continue reading … -- IN OTHER NEWS VICTORY LAP — Tyler Reddick steals Daytona 500 win in wild last-lap shootout.—
,
FOXNews.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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This region is the best place in the lower 48 to observe wild wolves, bears, and moose.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Wade Wilson confessed to the savage murders of two women, yet even that brutality failed to repel admirers.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
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On his second, Dominique pulled off a savage windmill, the same dunk that had earned a perfect score the year before and won him the title.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 10,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predatory. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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