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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Recent Examples of predatory
There were also sightings of less predatory creatures, like capuchin monkeys and the guinea pig-like agouti.
—
Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 7 July 2025
Themes in the series include predatory male behavior, family and love, and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her daughter.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 July 2025
The idea was to punish predatory men by seducing them and then humiliating them.
—Jane Smiley
june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
Namely, Bolg and other fossils from the Kaiparowits Formation described in the study indicate that at least three types of predatory lizards existed in this region of modern-day southern Utah during the Late Cretaceous.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for predatory
Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 7 July 2025
Themes in the series include predatory male behavior, family and love, and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her daughter.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 July 2025
The idea was to punish predatory men by seducing them and then humiliating them.
—Jane Smiley
june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
Namely, Bolg and other fossils from the Kaiparowits Formation described in the study indicate that at least three types of predatory lizards existed in this region of modern-day southern Utah during the Late Cretaceous.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for predatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predatory
Adjective
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Black people are depicted as rapists and cannibals, Jews as rapacious and controlling, and white people who believe in a multicultural society as race traitors who also deserve to die.—
James Shapiro,
The Atlantic,
18 July 2025
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But the cynicism that has always thrummed underneath his high-concept comedies — the dehumanizing algorithms, the rapacious finance system — is more prominent in this slim, potent novel.—
Mark Athitakis,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
Adjective
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Chantel’s aggressive, no-nonsense delivery clashed with Jackie’s passive-deflective tone, turning what could’ve been a breakthrough into yet another blow-up.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
22 July 2025
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An aggressive hitter, Naylor can get extremely hot, and carry a team with drives to the gap or bombs over the fence.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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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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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
Adjective
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Wetlands need restoration to once again catch phosphorus that pours from extinct volcanoes and prevent the growth of deadly algae.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
15 July 2025
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Scene Breakdown: Embrace AI Convention - From a dance battle to a blood fest, this breakdown will show how each department worked together to create this epic and deadly sequence.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
Robert reached with one out in the fifth, legging out the infield single and taking second on a wild throw.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
20 July 2025
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But when 5,000 Trevally fight back, the hunters become the hunted in one of the ocean’s wildest showdowns.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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As droves of tourists continue to flock to Spain for European summer vacations, the nation’s emergency responders are dealing with the aftermath of a violent wave of flash flooding in nearly half of the country’s 50 provinces.—
Opheli Garcia Lawler,
Travel + Leisure,
14 July 2025
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The two got married, had a baby, and started a quiet life together far away from his violent past.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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An inside look at the birth and power of ferocious storms Lowry credits the current warming in the Atlantic to a weakening of the Bermuda High, a pattern of high pressure that expands and shrinks over the western Atlantic and heavily influences hurricane movement.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
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That rear wing incorporates a Formula 1-style drag-reduction system, S-duct air channel, aggressive front splitter, and rear diffuser to help generate an impressive 860 kilograms of downforce at 177 mph for ferocious performance.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predatory. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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