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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 That’s why Meta has agreed to pay up to eighteen billion dollars as part of a settlement over predatory and deceptive practices, and why Anthropic is paying writers and publishers (admittedly, pennies) in a copyright settlement. — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026 More water news In Northern California’s Clear Lake, the native fish are threatened by mercury contamination, toxic algal blooms and predatory invasive fish. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 These predatory social wasps build large colonies and are notorious for scavenging around human food. — Nick Perry, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 This is nothing less than a predatory act to replicate the city of Sunny Isles all over Florida, right under our noses. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for predatory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for predatory

Adjective

The mythical image of the chivalrous mobster offered a way to ease the humiliating memory of losing the war and carried a nationalist charge, exploited in movies set amid black markets, rapacious Americans, and panpan girls.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
The absurdist look at greed and climate change, reality and the distorting power of media, feckless world leaders and rapacious billionaires, struggled to get off the ground.

— Brent Lang, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of rapacious

Adjective

Bam Adebayo wasn’t aggressive enough on the offensive side of the ball, which has been a consistent story line of his nine-year NBA career.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
On a network like this, rule-breaking often isn’t aggressive at all.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 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

Police charged 52-year-old Mooresville resident Rod Moskowitz with assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, court records show.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
Memories are fresh of the nationwide protests sparked by economic pressures that led to a deadly crackdown weeks before the war.

— Amir-Hussein Radjy, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of deadly

Adjective

After the initial blast, which spews out gamma rays, a storm of radiation pours into the surrounding galaxy, creating a ferocious afterglow that burns in every part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The characters thrust and parry with ferocious wit in an upscale California desert setting that scenic designer Scott Pask generically satirizes as a category of social living.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of ferocious

Adjective

Unpacking Meta's wild week Meta delivered a strong third quarter Wednesday evening, but worries about negative free cash flow and its AI spending needs upstaged strong guidance and a promising roadmap for its viral Muse AI agent.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
The film is a wild, frequently grotesque spectacle that careens between horror, action, slapstick, and black comedy.

— Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of wild

Browse Nearby Words

predators

predatory

predecease

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Predatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predatory. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of predatory

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes