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as in predatory
living by killing and eating other animals rapacious mammals, such as coyotes, foxes, and bobcats

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word rapacious different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of rapacious are gluttonous, ravenous, and voracious. While all these words mean "excessively greedy," rapacious often suggests excessive and utterly selfish acquisitiveness or avarice.

rapacious developers indifferent to environmental concerns

When can gluttonous be used instead of rapacious?

Although the words gluttonous and rapacious have much in common, gluttonous applies to one who delights in eating or acquiring things especially beyond the point of necessity or satiety.

an admiral who was gluttonous for glory

When could ravenous be used to replace rapacious?

The synonyms ravenous and rapacious are sometimes interchangeable, but ravenous implies excessive hunger and suggests violent or grasping methods of dealing with food or with whatever satisfies an appetite.

a nation with a ravenous lust for territorial expansion

When might voracious be a better fit than rapacious?

The meanings of voracious and rapacious largely overlap; however, voracious applies especially to habitual gorging with food or drink.

teenagers are often voracious eaters

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 rapacious In a very short period of time, Trump had decided to go back in time to roughly 100 years ago when Europe meant nothing to us other than rapacious capitalists and communists all out to get us and drag us in to their nefarious ways. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 27 May 2025 His class anxieties are a through line in the novel, as revealed in his constant conflict with Hooper, who is rapacious and sleazy. Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 26 June 2025 But Pulisic and the other first-choice players missing from the Gold Cup roster were put in a bad position by a global soccer environment with a rapacious appetite for matches — or rather a rapacious appetite for the money those matches produce. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025 In recent years, the rise of even less scrupulous and more rapacious influencer commentariat, with enormous YouTube and social followings, has further escalated the pressures celebrities face. Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for rapacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rapacious
Adjective
  • But the vast majority are cynical and greedy and scared of losing their jobs.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 July 2025
  • A far cry from the mild-mannered Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, Tully is an abusive, hot-headed, and greedy slime ball who leverages post-war desperation into a thriving criminal business.
    Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • Studies have found that certain species of predatory wasps are especially helpful for managing invasive scarlet lily beetles,1 but other predators are also interested in the beetles.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 July 2025
  • The company, however, has been criticized for predatory data privacy policies.
    Aarushi Bhandari, The Conversation, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • Discovered by the priest Ahk-Ton and molded into the glimmering Orb of Ra, this powerful cosmic relic would be discovered thousands of years later by mercenary archaeologist Rex Mason.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 12 July 2025
  • As mercenary Zora Bennett, Johansson leads a dangerous expedition in Jurassic World Rebirth, building a rapport with Bailey's character, super-smart paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis.
    Jen Juneau, People.com, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • Anyone who dared challenge the prevailing narrative faced the wrath of a ravenous cancel culture.
    David Oliver, USA Today, 22 July 2025
  • With all that room to cook, this gourmet grill can accommodate both ravenous solo diners or hungry families alike.
    Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • The comedy-drama follows a Gen Z content creator who returns to her ancestral home seeking viral material, only to encounter her deceased brother’s ghost while dealing with avaricious relatives.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Apr. 2025
  • This nation state, my home, is built on a quagmire of lies sold to the young as truths; sold to the insecure as truths; sold by the avaricious, the power-hungry, the conceited, the overwhelmingly white and male.
    Christine Winter, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Applications for the program will open later this year and the government is optimistic about strong interest from those eager to capitalize on this opportunity.
    Panorama Media Ltd, Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
  • As growth in the region has pushed west and commercial development has accelerated beyond Boise, Idaho’s second-largest city has added jobs, boosted wages and caught the eye of employers eager to set up shop in a central location and cut their workers’ commute times.
    Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • While Waze once again doesn’t charge anyone for usage and directions, how people use it along with when and where people go with it is surely valuable to businesses eager to meet and lead the needs of an acquisitive public.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
  • The competitive battle for smaller players continued into the early 1960s until antitrust laws curtailed the acquisitive sprees.
    Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

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Cite this Entry

“Rapacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapacious. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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