predatory

English

Alternative forms

• prædatory (archaic)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praedātōrius, equivalent to predator +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɛdəˌtoɹi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

predatory (comparative more predatory, superlative most predatory)

1. Of, or relating to a predator.
   • 2021 July 3, Phil McNulty, “Ukraine 0-4 England”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Harry Kane was back to his predatory best after struggling in the group stage, following up his goal against Germany by poking home a superb pass from Raheem Sterling after only four minutes.

2. Living by preying on other living animals.

   Synonyms: predaceous, predacious

   • 1915 December 4 – 1916 January 8, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter IX, in The Son of Tarzan, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., published March 1917, →OCLC:

     The mark of his father’s early life was strong upon him and enhanced by months of association with beasts, from whom the imitative faculty of youth had absorbed a countless number of little mannerisms of the predatory creatures of the wild.

3. (figuratively) Exploiting or victimizing others for personal gain.

   predatory lending

   predatory inclusion

   predatory publishing

   • 1890, William Booth, chapter 7, in In Darkest England and the Way Out‎^[2]:

     One very important section of the denizens of Darkest England are the criminals and the semi-criminals. They are more or less predatory, and are at present shepherded by the police and punished by the gaoler.

   • 1905 April–October, Upton Sinclair, chapter XXXI, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1906 February 26, →OCLC:

     The purpose of government was the guarding of property-rights, the perpetuation of ancient force and modern fraud. Or was it marriage? Marriage and prostitution were two sides of one shield, the predatory man’s exploitation of the sex-pleasure.

Derived terms

• predatorially
• predatory conference
• predatory journal
• predatory pricing
• predatory tunicate

 

Related terms

• predaceous, predacious
• predation
• predator
• prey

 

Translations

relating to predators

• Armenian: գիշատիչ (hy) (gišatičʻ)
• Bulgarian: хищен (bg) (hišten)
• Dutch: roofachtig
• French: prédateur (fr)
• Georgian: მტაცებლური (mṭacebluri)
• German: räuberisch (de)
• Greek: αρπακτικός (el) (arpaktikós)
• Italian: predatorio
• Persian: درندگی (fa) (darrandegi)
• Portuguese: predatório (pt)
• Russian: хи́щнический (ru) (xíščničeskij)
• Spanish: depredador (es)
• Ukrainian: хижа́цький (xyžácʹkyj)
• Welsh: rheibus (cy), ysglyfaethus (cy)

living by preying on other living animals

• Russian: хи́щный (ru) (xíščnyj)
• Ukrainian: хи́жий (ru) (xížij)

(figuratively) exploiting or victimizing others for personal gain

• Russian: хи́щный (ru) (xíščnyj), хи́щнический (ru) (xíščničeskij) (action, behaviour)
• Ukrainian: хи́жий (ru) (xížij), хижа́цький (xyžácʹkyj) (action, behaviour)

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “predatory”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• portrayed