1
as in greedy
having a huge appetite
nothing livens things up like a whole team of rapacious basketball players descending upon the pizza parlor
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in predatory
living by killing and eating other animals
rapacious mammals, such as coyotes, foxes, and bobcats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mercenary
having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions
rapacious plunderers who despoiled the tombs in the ancient pyramids
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rapacious
The notion that Related is a rapacious developer being handed a giveaway ignores the history.
—
Peter Peyser, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Sports franchises everywhere can be tacky, rapacious, incompetent, extortionate, and otherwise exploitative, but only because their customers, the fans, are essentially captives.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for rapacious
Peter Peyser, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Sports franchises everywhere can be tacky, rapacious, incompetent, extortionate, and otherwise exploitative, but only because their customers, the fans, are essentially captives.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for rapacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rapacious
Adjective
-
Summers in Florida would not be so hot if lawmakers were not so greedy; developers not so persistent; if land and wildlife weren’t paved for roads, parking lots and housing developments.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
The bottom line is this World Cup’s bottom line comes with the tournament’s most expensive tickets ever the world’s most popular event collides with all-American capitalism at its greediest.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
But for predatory species that need prey to eat, growing them in a lab is more challenging.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
-
The predatory add-ons were annoying.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
The recent series of events—none of which, on their face, are as dramatic as an armed uprising of mercenary fighters—has created a sense that the political system is at once tightly controlled and utterly rudderless.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
Following coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The scratches, mild but visible, are from the ravenous audience who pushes toward her night after night — grasping for a hug, a high-five, a brush of her fingers or the hem of her sleeve.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
-
In the beginning was a ravenous pink elephant laying claim to its mother’s life and body.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Played by a Colman Domingo who is done up to look the most wax figurine of them all in a shellacking of makeup, prosthetics, and colored contacts, Joe is always either giving an avaricious open-mouthed leer or a cold-eyed glare.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
-
There’s a quasi-heist theme to The Christophers, which revolves around an acclaimed artist (McKellen), who has long since stopped making new work, and his avaricious children (Gunning and Corden) who try to enlist Coel to complete some of their dad’s unfinished paintings.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Why the Sedins would be eager to take on this challenge, this greater level of responsibility and legacy-threatening scrutiny that will come attached to it, at this low point in franchise history, is beyond me.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
-
The period setting demands a degree of authenticity that Dhont was eager to execute.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Looking back on his 27 years with the bank, Gentry said the timing, loopholes, tax strategies and negotiations that gave the business its acquisitive edge were not because of dumb luck.—
Chase Jordan
April 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Moreover, the streamers that have taken a more acquisitive approach to live sports content are highly selective.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapacious. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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