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Synonyms

predacious

American  
[pri-dey-shuhs] / prɪˈdeɪ ʃəs /
especially Biology, predaceous

adjective

  1. predatory; rapacious.


predacious British  
/ prɪˈdeɪʃəs, prɪˈdæsɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. (of animals) habitually hunting and killing other animals for food

  2. preying on others

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • predaciousness noun
  • predacity noun
  • unpredaceous adjective
  • unpredaceously adverb
  • unpredaceousness noun
  • unpredacious adjective
  • unpredaciously adverb
  • unpredaciousness noun

Etymology

Origin of predacious

First recorded in 1705–15; pred(atory) + -acious

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She’s predacious, conflicted, at times disorganized — and ultimately unknowable.

From Washington Post

The picture tells the story of a young woman, Danae, who’s been locked in a high tower by her father to keep her away from predacious men.

From New York Times

She feels shut out by the city’s predacious, moneyed tribes, battered by its “impenetrable shapes” and “fierce elbows.”

From New York Times

They’re predacious, eating whatever they can get their grubby hands on.

From Washington Times

Now, four days later, Nukita warned us that a similarly predacious swarm of print and television reporters lay in wait for us in Kathmandu.

From Literature