Dictionary

rapacious en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ɹəˈpeɪ.ʃəs/ (UK, US)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Perhaps from rapacity + -ous, in any case ultimately from Latin rapāx (“grasping, greedy”) + -acious.

Meanings

1. (also, figuratively) Voracious; avaricious.
   • Relations between the Waveney Valley Railway and the E.C.R. [Eastern Counties Railway] soon became strained, because of the rapacious attitude adopted by the latter, and to the mismanagement which it displayed in working the smaller company's line. 1952 June, B. D. J. Walsh, “The Waveney Valley Line”, in Railway Magazine, page 365:
   • Big Tech companies, on the other hand, have proven themselves to be rapacious capitalists—they take as much as they can and ask for permission later. 2021 March 16, Noam Cohen, “Wikipedia Is Finally Asking Big Tech to Pay Up”, in Wired, →ISSN:
   • The rapacious maw of our despair 2022, “Nevermore”, performed by Lamb of God:
   • To presume a want of motives for such contests [of power between states] as an argument against their existence, would be to forget that men are ambitious, vindictive, and rapacious. 1787, Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 6: Concerning Dangers from Dissensions Between the States:
2. Given to taking by force or plundering; aggressively greedy.
   • A Prince […] sooner becomes hated by being rapacious and by interfering with the property and with the women of his subjects, than in any other way. 1910, Niccolò Machiavelli, “Chapter XIX”, in Ninian Hill Thomson, transl., The Prince:
3. (of an animal, qualifier:usually a bird) Subsisting off live prey.
   • Even the rapacious birds appeared to comprehend the nature of the ceremony, for […] they once more began to make their airy circuits above the place[…] 1827, James Fenimore Cooper, “Chapter XIII”, in The Prairie:

Forms

Deriveds

unrapacious

Relateds

rapaciousness · rapacity · rapaciously

Synonyms

selfish · grasping · rapacious · edacious · miserly · cormorant · sordid · covetous · sharp-set · avaricious · miserable · piggish · esurient · greedy · predacious · acquisitive · predatory · voracious

Translations (46)

es rapaz (which subsists off live prey) · ru алчный (avaricious) · el άπληστος (avaricious) · hu falánk (which subsists off live prey) · sh grabežljiv (which subsists off live prey) · es codicioso (avaricious) · fr rapace (avaricious) · el αρπακτικός (given to take by force) · fi ahne (avaricious) · hu ragadozó (which subsists off live prey) · bg грабителски (given to take by force) · hu ragadozó (given to take by force) · hu telhetetlen (avaricious) · la rapax (given to take by force) · ru жадный (avaricious) · bg граблив (which subsists off live prey) · uk хижий (which subsists off live prey) · hu pénzsóvár (avaricious) · nb rovlysten (given to take by force) · nb rovlysten (avaricious) · sh lakom (avaricious) · la rapax (avaricious) · bg алчен (avaricious) · hu mohó (which subsists off live prey) · es rapaz (given to take by force) · fi saaliinhimoinen (avaricious) · hu pénzéhes (avaricious) · pt voraz (avaricious) · grc ἅρπαξ (avaricious) · sh gramziv (avaricious) · de unersättlich (avaricious) · de Raub- (which subsists off live prey) · bg ненаситен (avaricious) · el αρπακτικός (which subsists off live prey) · nb rov- (which subsists off live prey) · mi whakakakao (avaricious) · sv rovgirig (avaricious) · de raubgierig (given to take by force) · ru хищный (which subsists off live prey) · sh pohlepan (avaricious) · hu kapzsi (avaricious) · nl roofzuchtig (given to take by force) · pl pazerny (avaricious) · hu mohó (avaricious) · de habgierig (avaricious) · it rapace (which subsists off live prey)