rapacious
Americanadjective
-
given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed.
-
inordinately greedy; predatory; extortionate.
a rapacious disposition.
- Antonyms:
- generous
-
(of animals) subsisting by the capture of living prey; predacious.
adjective
-
practising pillage or rapine
-
greedy or grasping
-
(of animals, esp birds) subsisting by catching living prey
Synonym Usage
See avaricious.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rapacious
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin rapāci- (stem of rapāx “greedy,” akin to rapere “to seize”; see rape 1) + -ous
Explanation
Something rapacious is out to devour — anything, and little can stand in its way. A rapacious landlord is out for more rent, and a rapacious eater is only satisfied at the all-you-can-eat buffet. A 17th-century word, from the Latin rapere, "to snatch," rapacious originally described the people and animals who often preyed on weaker creatures and devoured them, by eating them or by ruining them through some scandal. Modern-day companies even get the label rapacious when their appetites for profit seem to devour "lesser" interests, like the environment and employee benefits.
Vocabulary lists containing rapacious
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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Grade 11, List 2
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"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
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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.
Environmental campaigners say rapacious forest and peatland destruction is the root cause of the fires.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
In such a socially competitive and professionally rapacious city, having a dinner party is intimidating, too much work, and very few people, even with boatloads of cash, end up hosting one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
He’s similar to Adam Sandler’s rapacious jeweler in “Uncut Gems,” except that scoundrel contained his damage to the Diamond District and people as shady as him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
Nowadays, they qualify as escapism confirming our assumptions about ridiculous, rapacious people, which is terribly fun.
From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2025
They often collected in prodigious, not to say rapacious, quantities.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
