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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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
Similarly, artists must protect themselves from predatory actors who see strivers as marks.
—
Charlie Kaplan, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
Without any clear way to prove ownership, those who inherit heirs’ property may lose it to predatory investors or the government.
—Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2024
One of the antics includes their attempt to get a payday loan as Katt Williams haunts them from the window, telling them of the dangers of predatory loans.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2024
Ka’s music, which is largely self-produced, is at once stark and enveloping, a fugue of dread and predatory housing law punctured by shards and wisdom and, occasionally, discrete moments of joy.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for predatory 
Charlie Kaplan, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
Without any clear way to prove ownership, those who inherit heirs’ property may lose it to predatory investors or the government.
—Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2024
One of the antics includes their attempt to get a payday loan as Katt Williams haunts them from the window, telling them of the dangers of predatory loans.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2024
Ka’s music, which is largely self-produced, is at once stark and enveloping, a fugue of dread and predatory housing law punctured by shards and wisdom and, occasionally, discrete moments of joy.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for predatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predatory
Adjective
-
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has argued that the war with Ukraine is really a war with a rapacious NATO out to destroy Russia.Maria Snegovaya, Foreign Affairs, 25 Nov. 2024
-
That marks him as a potential savior of Rome, the one man who might free the empire from the rapacious appetites of the twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and the rich Macrinus (Denzel Washington).Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 22 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Bull sharks are large and aggressive, reaching 11 feet in length, and may pose more of a danger to the killer whales.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024
-
Though his win-first, aggressive tactics didn’t ingratiate him to his team, Senna still won the Formula Ford series championship in his first year.Jake Kring-Schreifels, TIME, 29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Biden officials are offering up to 30,000 migrants per month a two-year permit to live and work in the United States under the terms of the program, and say such legal pathways are successfully steering migrants toward a safer and more orderly option than the one offered by predacious smugglers.Nick Miroff, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Feb. 2023
-
People may be aware that consumer debt collection is predaceous and corrupt; that low-income people face terrible odds in family or housing court; that anyone hoping to receive government benefits depends on the whim, and competence, of bureaucrats seeking to cut costs.Kathryn Joyce, The New Republic, 22 June 2020
Adjective
-
Detailed testimonies of refugees along the Balkan route therefore challenge the conventional wisdom that officials tend to protect them from raptorial smugglers.Max Abrahms, Foreign Affairs, 22 Mar. 2017
-
Damsel bugs are slender and tan-colored and have slightly raptorial front legs.Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2023
Adjective
-
Assad's downfall, if it's confirmed, also marks the latest stunning development in one of the deadliest civil wars of the 21st century.Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024
-
Still, Penny grabbed him from behind and put him in a deadly chokehold.Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 8 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Bird flu has continued to spread in wild birds, poultry and dairy cattle since spring.Sam Tupper, CNN, 28 Nov. 2024
-
At times, the suspense plot is gripping, or at least wild, enough to hold attention.Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 28 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
The director, Lumumba Sayers, is now in jail awaiting trial for first-degree murder. $2.7 million in taxpayer dollars went to sober living facilities led by a mixed martial arts fighter with a violent criminal record.John Frank, Axios, 5 Dec. 2024
-
But witnesses to significant events, especially violent ones, are not given the option to stay silent.Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
In September, Israel stepped up its campaign against the Lebanese militant group, assassinating its top brass and launching a ferocious aerial and ground operation into southern Lebanon, which forced Hezbollah to abandon its condition for a ceasefire.Mostafa Salem, CNN, 30 Nov. 2024
-
Found throughout Botswana, honey badgers are famously ferocious.Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near predatory
Cite this Entry
“Predatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predatory. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share