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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of predatory
Commonly found in vegetable gardens, borage attracts bees and predatory wasps with its attractive flowers.
—
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2026
Protesters who were part of that movement questioned why banks received governmental bailouts while households struggling with predatory student debt did not.
—Celina Su, The Conversation, 1 Apr. 2026
Some people have relied on predatory loans to get by.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 25 Mar. 2026
For decades, discriminatory housing policies — including redlining, racially restrictive covenants and predatory land-sale contracts — systematically extracted the very wealth from Black families that fuels neighborhood investment.
—Tonika Lewis Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predatory
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2026
Protesters who were part of that movement questioned why banks received governmental bailouts while households struggling with predatory student debt did not.
—Celina Su, The Conversation, 1 Apr. 2026
Some people have relied on predatory loans to get by.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 25 Mar. 2026
For decades, discriminatory housing policies — including redlining, racially restrictive covenants and predatory land-sale contracts — systematically extracted the very wealth from Black families that fuels neighborhood investment.
—Tonika Lewis Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predatory
Adjective
-
Queensland had a rapacious frontier in the 19th century, which led to the establishment of the Native Mounted Police in 1848.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
-
Bart argues that such promotion has a salutary social function, reaching people in underserved communities who might not otherwise be aware that they are entitled to aggressive, contingency-fee advocacy.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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The professional soccer player previously accused Chappell Roan's security of aggressive behavior to his 11-year-old stepdaughter.—
Sharareh Drury,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 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
-
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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The woman had an active domestic violence restraining order against Garcia at the time of the deadly shooting.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Their world is upended when a new neighbor moves in across the street, bringing old secrets of the cul-de-sac to light and new deadly threats shatter the illusion of their quiet little neighborhood.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Blown out, extravagant, dripping with ferocious malaise and desperation, but precisely arranged for the maximum possible emotional effect.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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Otters are part of the weasel family (Mustelidae), which includes some of nature’s most ferocious pint-sized predators, such as badgers, martens, and wolverines.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The Grammy-winner's catalog is woven into the narrative with surprising elegance that serves the story on emotional beats, and give these familiar tunes a wild new dimension.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
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Lawson Crouse scored for Utah, which holds the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a three-point lead on the Los Angeles Kings, who have a game in hand.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The famed African American journalist investigated lynchings across the South and wrote about the savage incidents that the white press had already explained away.—
Case Thorp,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
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The loss of books is minor, almost trivial, in light of all the horrors and violence unleashed by this senseless war, but the potential loss of these books is a sad reminder that we’re all affected and implicated in America’s savage flailings.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predatory. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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