What does predatory mean?

Definitions for predatory
ˈprɛd əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr ipreda·to·ry

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word predatory.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. marauding, predatory, raidingadjective

    characterized by plundering or pillaging or marauding

    "bands of marauding Indians"; "predatory warfare"; "a raiding party"

  2. predatory, rapacious, raptorial, ravening, vulturine, vulturousadjective

    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"

  3. predaceous, predacious, predatoryadjective

    living by or given to victimizing others for personal gain

    "predatory capitalists"; "a predatory, insensate society in which innocence and decency can prove fatal"- Peter S. Prescott; "a predacious kind of animal--the early geological gangster"- W.E.Swinton

Wiktionary

  1. predatoryadjective

    Of, or relating to a predator.

  2. predatoryadjective

    Living by preying on other living animals.

  3. predatoryadjective

    Exploiting or victimizing others for personal gain.

  4. Etymology: From praedatorius.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Predatoryadjective

    Etymology: prædatorius, Lat. from præda, Lat.

    The king called his parliament, where he exaggerated the malice and the cruel predatory war made by Scotland. Francis Bacon.

    The evils that come of exercise are, that it maketh the spirits more hot and predatory. Francis Bacon.

Wikipedia

  1. Predatory

    Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the host) and parasitoidism (which always does, eventually). It is distinct from scavenging on dead prey, though many predators also scavenge; it overlaps with herbivory, as seed predators and destructive frugivores are predators. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often concealed. When prey is detected, the predator assesses whether to attack it. This may involve ambush or pursuit predation, sometimes after stalking the prey. If the attack is successful, the predator kills the prey, removes any inedible parts like the shell or spines, and eats it. Predators are adapted and often highly specialized for hunting, with acute senses such as vision, hearing, or smell. Many predatory animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, have sharp claws or jaws to grip, kill, and cut up their prey. Other adaptations include stealth and aggressive mimicry that improve hunting efficiency. Predation has a powerful selective effect on prey, and the prey develop antipredator adaptations such as warning coloration, alarm calls and other signals, camouflage, mimicry of well-defended species, and defensive spines and chemicals. Sometimes predator and prey find themselves in an evolutionary arms race, a cycle of adaptations and counter-adaptations. Predation has been a major driver of evolution since at least the Cambrian period.

ChatGPT

  1. predatory

    Predatory refers to a behavior or action characterized by exploiting or victimizing others, often in an aggressive, deceitful, or ruthless manner. It can be used to describe creatures that survive by hunting and killing other animals, or persons or entities that take advantage of others for personal gain, often unethically or unfairly.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Predatoryadjective

    characterized by plundering; practicing rapine; plundering; pillaging; as, a predatory excursion; a predatory party

  2. Predatoryadjective

    hungry; ravenous; as, predatory spirits

  3. Predatoryadjective

    living by preying upon other animals; carnivorous

  4. Etymology: [L. praedatorius, fr. praedari to plunder, fr. praeda prey. See Prey.]

Entomology

  1. Predatory

    = predaceous: q.v.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of predatory in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of predatory in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of predatory in a Sentence

  1. Garrett Marquis:

    The Patagonia ground station, agreed to in secret by a corrupt and financially vulnerable government a decade ago, is another example of opaque and predatory Chinese dealings that undermine the sovereignty of host nations.

  2. Ian Smith:

    In competition terms it's predatory pricing. The use of a scale advantage to disadvantage competitors.

  3. Santa Cruz:

    We were able to meet up with the kayaker and get him out of the water and actually did determine that it was true predatory attack on a water craft, and, so out of an abundance of caution, we go ahead and posted in the beaches and have completely limited water access for the next four days.

  4. Howard Scott, Economist:

    A criminal is a person with predatory instincts who has not sufficient capital to form a corporation.

  5. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

    These companies should be using their cash reserves to help their employees not to acquire more power. If we don't stop predatory MAs now, the actions of big corporations will have decades-long economic consequences.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for predatory

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"predatory." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/predatory>.

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