1
as in greedy
having a huge appetite
nothing livens things up like a whole team of rapacious basketball players descending upon the pizza parlor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in predatory
living by killing and eating other animals
rapacious mammals, such as coyotes, foxes, and bobcats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mercenary
having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions
rapacious plunderers who despoiled the tombs in the ancient pyramids
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rapacious
The notion that Related is a rapacious developer being handed a giveaway ignores the history.
—
Peter Peyser, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Sports franchises everywhere can be tacky, rapacious, incompetent, extortionate, and otherwise exploitative, but only because their customers, the fans, are essentially captives.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
In fairness, rapacious male characters like Nate and Cal are cast in an even more negative, gender-essentialist light.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Apr. 2026
Queensland had a rapacious frontier in the 19th century, which led to the establishment of the Native Mounted Police in 1848.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rapacious
Peter Peyser, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Sports franchises everywhere can be tacky, rapacious, incompetent, extortionate, and otherwise exploitative, but only because their customers, the fans, are essentially captives.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
In fairness, rapacious male characters like Nate and Cal are cast in an even more negative, gender-essentialist light.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Apr. 2026
Queensland had a rapacious frontier in the 19th century, which led to the establishment of the Native Mounted Police in 1848.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rapacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rapacious
Adjective
-
The main culprit for labor’s shrinking share of the economic pie is government policy, not greedy corporations.—
Scott Lincicome,
Washington Post,
11 May 2026
-
Summers in Florida would not be so hot if lawmakers were not so greedy; developers not so persistent; if land and wildlife weren’t paved for roads, parking lots and housing developments.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
But for predatory species that need prey to eat, growing them in a lab is more challenging.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
-
The predatory add-ons were annoying.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
The plot is based around a routine jury site visit that turns deadly when a mercenary kill team led by Hewitt (Adkins) storms the location in search of a secret ledger detailing citywide corruption.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
-
The recent series of events—none of which, on their face, are as dramatic as an armed uprising of mercenary fighters—has created a sense that the political system is at once tightly controlled and utterly rudderless.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Scenes from this film-within-a-film play out in full, and feature Emma Mackey as a damsel escaping a hungry, humanoid fish creature, while a pair of mad scientists, played by comedy duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, attempt to study the ravenous creature.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
IndieWire,
18 May 2026
-
Fans are ravenous, and rightfully hungry for more information about their new slow burn obsession couple.—
Olivia Shalhoup,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Played by a Colman Domingo who is done up to look the most wax figurine of them all in a shellacking of makeup, prosthetics, and colored contacts, Joe is always either giving an avaricious open-mouthed leer or a cold-eyed glare.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
-
There’s a quasi-heist theme to The Christophers, which revolves around an acclaimed artist (McKellen), who has long since stopped making new work, and his avaricious children (Gunning and Corden) who try to enlist Coel to complete some of their dad’s unfinished paintings.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sometimes there’s an English language barrier, but everyone is patient and eager to make your stay memorable.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 May 2026
-
Joelle D'Alencar, the owner of the business, is eager to help new customers feel comfortable.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
All this acquisitive activity has turned the majority of physicians into employees rather than independent operators.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Looking back on his 27 years with the bank, Gentry said the timing, loopholes, tax strategies and negotiations that gave the business its acquisitive edge were not because of dumb luck.—
Chase Jordan
April 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapacious. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
