as in rapacious
living by killing and eating other animals
hawks are predatory and pose a danger to rabbits and other pets
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Recent Examples of predatory
Davis worries about those without the means, or time, to rebuild, or the pressure to sell, from predatory forces already circling.
—
Sam Lubell, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Male anglerfish are small − only about one inch − and are not predatory.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
Experts warn that without federal oversight, student loan protections could weaken, leaving borrowers more vulnerable to predatory lending practices.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
The department currently oversees federal student loan programs, distributes financial aid and enforces policies meant to protect borrowers from predatory lending practices.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predatory
Sam Lubell, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Male anglerfish are small − only about one inch − and are not predatory.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
Experts warn that without federal oversight, student loan protections could weaken, leaving borrowers more vulnerable to predatory lending practices.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
The department currently oversees federal student loan programs, distributes financial aid and enforces policies meant to protect borrowers from predatory lending practices.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predatory
Adjective
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To that end, his meeting with the notoriously rapacious lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), who’d successfully prosecuted the Rosenbergs and served as Joseph McCarthy’s right hand in anti-Communist hearings, sets off a lucrative and sinister mentorship.—
Scott Tobias,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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There are striking parallels between Deus Ex’s themes and Musk’s own intellectual interests, from transhumanism and rapacious capitalism through to conspiracy theories.—
Lewis Gordon,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Read more: Rams and Matthew Stafford Agree on Restructured Deal to Keep Him in LA The Raiders were reportedly the most aggressive team and had a lucrative offer on the table to land Stafford.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
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With Oklahoma City, currently the best and most aggressive defense in the league by a wide margin, there isn’t just one candidate.—
Shane Young,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Look for and conserve natural enemies such as predaceous bugs, lacewings, lady beetles, and syrphids.—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Jan. 2025
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Biden officials are offering up to 30,000 migrants per month a two-year permit to live and work in the United States under the terms of the program, and say such legal pathways are successfully steering migrants toward a safer and more orderly option than the one offered by predacious smugglers.—
Nick Miroff,
Anchorage Daily News,
1 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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Detailed testimonies of refugees along the Balkan route therefore challenge the conventional wisdom that officials tend to protect them from raptorial smugglers.—
Max Abrahms,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Mar. 2017
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Damsel bugs are slender and tan-colored and have slightly raptorial front legs.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 July 2023
Adjective
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Related article Inside the perfect storm of the deadly measles outbreak in Texas Also Friday, the New Mexico Department of Health reported 30 measles cases in Lea County, 20 more than had previously been identified in the state.—
Neha Mukherjee,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
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An all-too-common dispute between roommates turned deadly when a man suspected his privacy had been violated in a Nashville home, according to police in Tennessee.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This strain of bird flu has gotten good at infecting new species, including wild birds that migrate and over 40 species of mammals, Kate Wells of NPR's network station Michigan Public and KFF Health News says.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2025
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Along the trail, look for plants and animals that aren’t easy to find anywhere else on the island, including wild orchids and the rare native barn owl.—
Curaçao Tourist Board,
AFAR Media,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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While confronting their violent history, a brutal bar fight and deadly feud reignites between Thomas, Ben, and the notorious Five Points Gang.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2025
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That career has been highlighted by some of the most violent fights in MMA history.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Jones, still vigorous at seventy-two, moves through space with ferocious intent while conjuring stories from the past: early dance sensations, tense interactions with the legendary Ailey, and clashes with critics who tried to box him in as a Black artist.—
Shauna Lyon,
The New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2025
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Friction point: Community groups like the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Franklin Park Defenders have been ferocious in opposing the revamp, questioning the cost, traffic and the loss of a public asset to a private interest.—
Mike Deehan,
Axios,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predatory. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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