predatory
Americanadjective
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Zoology. preying upon other organisms for food.
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of, relating to, or characterized by plunder, pillage, or robbery, as in war.
predatory tactics.
- Synonyms:
- rapacious
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engaging in or living by these activities.
predatory bands of brigands.
- Synonyms:
- rapacious
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excessive or exploitative in amount or cost, as out of greed or to take advantage of consumers or patrons.
predatory pricing.
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seeking to exploit, victimize, or prey on others.
More and more, senior citizens find themselves victims of predatory scams that rob them of their savings.
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acting with or possessed by overbearing, greedy, or selfish motives.
He was cornered at the party by a predatory reporter.
adjective
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zoology another word for predacious
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of, involving, or characterized by plundering, robbing, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of predatory
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin praedātōrius “plundering, marauding”; see origin at predator, -tory 1
Explanation
Predatory animals are those who kill and then eat — in other words, "prey on" — other animals. Hawks, lions, alligators, and human beings are all predatory animals. Predatory is also used when one party victimizes another for personal gain. For example, businesses are often accused of "predatory practices" when they take advantage of senior citizens, the uneducated, or people who simply don’t understand the specifics of the loan or insurance policy they're signing up for. This is why it’s important to read the fine print of business documents.
Vocabulary lists containing predatory
Holes
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And Then There Were None
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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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.
According to reports of his filing by InsuranceNewsNet and others, he claimed predatory marketing techniques because he thought he was buying a retirement savings investment, but the results didn’t live up to what was promised.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
Using advanced neutron imaging technology, scientists examined the skull and braincase of Koharalepis jarviki, a large predatory fish that lived during the Devonian Period, often called the "Age of Fishes."
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
Australia in December banned under 16s from a raft of popular social media platforms, launching a world-first crackdown designed to protect children from online bullying and "predatory algorithms".
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
“I was just asking people to reckon the fact that this person has a reputation of being predatory and we’re looking at making him the governor of the fourth-largest economy in the world,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Rahel stopped and turned around, and on her heart a drab moth with unusually dense dorsal tufts unfurled its predatory wings.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
