adjective
predatory
PREH-duht-ree
adjective
1
Living by hunting and killing other animals for food.
"Sharks are predatory fish found in every ocean."
2
Exploiting others unfairly for personal gain.
"The bank was accused of predatory lending practices targeting low-income families."
How to Use Predatory
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishActing like a predator — either an animal that hunts prey, or a person or business that takes ruthless advantage of vulnerable people.
Common pairings
predatory lending
predatory behavior
predatory instinct
Word Forms
more predatory comparative, most predatory superlative
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Etymology
From Latin praedatorius, formed the same way as predator plus -y.