rapacious

/rə'peiʃəs/

Thân thiện

A rapacious wolf hunts a rabbit in the snowy forest.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Excessively greedy, especially for money or possessions: Describes a person or entity that has an insatiable desire to acquire wealth, often through ruthless or unfair means.
   • Voracious, devouring food greedily: Describes an animal or, by extension, a person with an extremely eager or insatiable appetite for food.
   • Living by preying on other animals; predatory: Describes the nature of an animal that hunts and kills other animals for food.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective (Greedy):
  • The rapacious landlord raised the rent on all his properties.
  • The company was accused of rapacious business practices that exploited its workers.
• Adjective (Voracious):
  • After the long hike, he had a rapacious hunger.
  • The rapacious vultures descended on the carcass.
• Adjective (Predatory):
  • The rapacious wolf stalked its prey through the forest.
  • The documentary focused on the rapacious nature of sharks.

Advanced Usage

• "Rapacious appetite": An idiom describing an extremely strong desire, not just for food but also for non-material things like power or success.
  • She has a rapacious appetite for knowledge, reading several books a week.
• "Rapacious capitalism": A critical term describing an economic system or behavior perceived as excessively focused on profit at any social or environmental cost.
  • The essay criticized the era of rapacious capitalism in the late 19th century.

Variants and Related Words

• Rapacity (n): The quality of being rapacious; excessive greed.
  • The rapacity of the invading army led to the looting of the city.
• Rapaciousness (n): A synonym for rapacity; the state of being rapacious.
  • His rapaciousness knew no bounds.
• Raptorial (adj): Relating to or characteristic of birds of prey; predatory. (A more technical/scientific synonym for the "predatory" sense).
  • The eagle's raptorial talons are perfectly adapted for hunting.

Synonyms

• Greedy: Having an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth or food.
• Voracious: Wanting or consuming great quantities of food, or having a very eager approach to an activity.
• Predatory: Relating to or characterized by plundering, exploiting, or preying on others.
• Avaricious: Having an extreme greed for wealth or material gain.
• Vulturine: Resembling a vulture, especially in being predatory or scavenging.

Related Phrases

• To prey upon: To hunt and kill for food, or to exploit or harm someone weaker.
  • The loan sharks preyed upon the financially desperate.
• To have an insatiable appetite for: To have a desire that cannot be satisfied.
  • The collector had an insatiable appetite for rare artifacts.

Related Idioms

• Wolf in sheep's clothing: Someone who hides malicious intent behind a harmless appearance. (Related to the deceptive nature of a rapacious predator).
  • Be careful of him; he's a wolf in sheep's clothing, only interested in your money.
• To have eyes bigger than one's stomach: To take more food than one can eat. (Related to the rapacious sense of being voracious).
  • I ordered too much; I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. devouring or craving food in great quantities
   • edacious vultures
   • a rapacious appetite
   • ravenous as wolves
   • voracious sharks
2. excessively greedy and grasping
   • a rapacious divorcee on the prowl
   • ravening creditors
   • paying taxes to voracious governments
3. living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
   • a predatory bird
   • the rapacious wolf
   • raptorial birds
   • ravening wolves
   • a vulturine taste for offal

Từ đồng nghĩa

• edacious
• esurient
• ravening
• ravenous
• voracious
• wolfish
• predatory
• raptorial
• vulturine
• vulturous