rapacious

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
13
Words With Friends
16
Letters
9
Pronunciation
/ɹəˈpeɪ.ʃəs/(UK)

Definition of rapacious

3 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. (also, figuratively)Voracious; avaricious.
    “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.”
    “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.”
    “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.”
    “The rapacious maw of our despair”
See all 3 definitions

adj

  1. (also, figuratively)Voracious; avaricious.
    “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.”
    “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.”
    “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.”
    “The rapacious maw of our despair”
  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.”
  3. 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[…]”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

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

Words you can make from rapacious

200+ playable · top: ACARPOUS (12 pts)

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8-letter words

1 word

7-letter words

6 words

6-letter words

18 words

5-letter words

59 words

4-letter words

82 words

3-letter words

33 words

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