rapacious

American  

[ruh-pey-shuhs] / rəˈpeɪ ʃəs /

adjective

1. given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed.

2. inordinately greedy; predatory; extortionate.

   a rapacious disposition.

   Synonyms:

   grasping, voracious, ravenous

   Antonyms:

   generous

3. (of animals) subsisting by the capture of living prey; predacious.

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rapacious British  

/ rəˈpæsɪtɪ, rəˈpeɪʃəs /

adjective

1. practising pillage or rapine

2. greedy or grasping

3. (of animals, esp birds) subsisting by catching living prey

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Related Words

See avaricious.

Other Word Forms

• rapaciously adverb
• rapaciousness noun
• rapacity noun
• unrapacious adjective
• unrapaciously adverb

Etymology

Origin of rapacious

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin rapāci- (stem of rapāx “greedy,” akin to rapere “to seize”; rape ¹ ) + -ous

Example Sentences

She softens the character’s steely edges, turning a proud and almost rapacious woman into a mere doting mom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

"The Moment" satirises the consequences of her hit 2024 album "brat", as rapacious record company executives and a film director played by Alexander Skarsgard seek to jump on the juggernaut.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

Parkanyi vets every submission, weeding out couples who appear rapacious for money, or those who demand a specific type of foreigner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

Nowadays, they qualify as escapism confirming our assumptions about ridiculous, rapacious people, which is terribly fun.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025

Considering now, in contrast, the characteristics of Commodus, Severus, Antoninus Caracalla, and Maximinus, you will find them extremely cruel and extremely rapacious.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Related Words

• ferocious
• greedy
• marauding
• predatory
• ravenous
• voracious