PREDATORY Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

predatory

adjective

ˈpre-də-ˌtȯr-ē

Definition of predatory

as in rapacious

living by killing and eating other animals hawks are predatory and pose a danger to rabbits and other pets

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 predatory If his plea is accepted, court documents say Wetzel will be put on probation for five years and will be added to the predatory offender registry for 10 years. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026 To legitimize its role as something more than predatory domination, Washington launched the Arab-Israeli peace process in hopes of integrating its Arab allies and Israel into a common security framework. — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 Opponents of gender recognition reform argued that self-identification would allow predatory men to access women-only spaces and harm women. — Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026 It’s known for its remoteness, with rugged islands, incredible marine life, and, yes, its legendary Komodo dragons—the planet’s largest predatory lizards that are often compared to dinosaurs. — Annie Daly, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for predatory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for predatory

Adjective

All this rapacious consumerism sits somewhat awkwardly alongside Hermès’s image of Old World gentility.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
In a satiric short video, Rabid Dogs, 2002, for example, white-collar workers dress upas rapacious canines, clutching Burberry bags in their mouths and traversing cubicles on all fours.

— Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of rapacious

Adjective

On one hand, the aggressive expansion of data centers is intensifying competition for finite resources like land and water, putting them in direct conflict with agricultural land use in certain regions.

— , CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
Harsh cleaners and aggressive scrubbing can damage these surfaces.

— Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of aggressive

Adjective

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
Look for and conserve natural enemies such as predaceous bugs, lacewings, lady beetles, and syrphids.

— The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2025

Definition of predaceous

Adjective

Given the absence of venom, the researchers propose that these arachnids likely use strong raptorial pedipalps (claw-like appendages).

— Jay Kakade July 13, New Atlas, 14 July 2026
These predators patrol, stalk and swiftly capture their prey with raptorial front legs.

— Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026

Definition of raptorial

Adjective

The outbreak is concentrated in Ituri province and is known to be the deadliest of all past 17 Ebola outbreaks in the country.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
His team, which had just gruelingly removed passengers stuck between scraps of metal and glass, turned its attention to another deadly disaster Tuesday night.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of deadly

Adjective

The relationship between Xi and Zhang went back decades, extending not just to their childhoods but all the way back to their fathers, who were comrades in arms in China’s ferocious civil war.

— Jonathan A. Czin, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
The ferocious drummer Martin Chambers, with his knifey sideburns, completed the quartet.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of ferocious

Adjective

The Cubs remained tied with the San Diego Padres for the top wild-card spot, and both moved one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.

— Gary Schatz, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
The discovery, reported Thursday in the journal Current Biology, marks the first time scientists have named and described a new living wild cat species in more than a century.

— Paola Flores, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of wild

Adjective

Hamilton lets down Claire’s savage hauteur; Mays’ eyes glisten with all the regrets of lost love.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
The savage purge since June of high-momentum stocks – dominated by AI hardware and related industrials – has sapped the bullish aggression of traders, helping to reset tactical sentiment toward a more neutral level.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of savage

Browse Nearby Words

predators

predatory

predecease

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“Predatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predatory. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of predatory

adjective

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