predatory

adj.

1. Living by preying on other organisms: a predatory mammal; a predatory insect.
2. 1. Of, relating to, or characterized by plundering, pillaging, or marauding.
   2. Living by or given to exploiting or destroying others for one's own gain.

[Latin praedātōrius, plundering, from praedārī, to plunder, from praeda, booty.]

predatorily pred'a·to'ri·ly adv.
predatoriness pred'a·to'ri·ness n.

Pertaining to predator.

• p. behavior — the hunting of birds, mice and small reptiles by cats and the hunting and herding behavior of dogs, often facilitated in a pack.
— Wild predators kill mostly for prey, only one victim at a time. Urban dogs kill a lot of sheep in a flock, many more than they could eat.
• p. lesions — dog attacks cause massive hemorrhages, much tissue disruption, broken bones; attack mostly thighs, flanks, lambs have crushed skulls; foxes attack tongue, lower jaw, tail area, thigh; coyotes eat a part of the carcass, crushing and tearing of larynx, fang marks in skin, lambs crushed head and neck; crows attack eyes, tongue, anus, umbilicus of already immobilized victim.

IN BRIEF: Living by hunting prey. Also: Relating to robbing others for personal gain.

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

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adjective has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: characterized by plundering or pillaging or marauding
  Synonyms: marauding, raiding

Meaning #2: living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
  Synonyms: rapacious, raptorial, ravening, vulturine, vulturous

Meaning #3: living by or given to victimizing others for personal gain
  Synonyms: predaceous, predacious

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - røverisk, rov-, rovgrisk

Nederlands (Dutch)
roofzuchtig

Français (French)
adj. - prédateur, de prédateur, (Comm) hostile

Deutsch (German)
adj. - räuberisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αρπακτικός, (μτφ.) ληστρικός

Italiano (Italian)
rapace, predatore

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - predatório, destruidor

Русский (Russian)
хищнический

Español (Spanish)
adj. - de rapiña, rapaz, depredador

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - rovdjurs-, rovgirig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
掠夺的, 捕食生物的, 进行掠夺的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 掠奪的, 捕食生物的, 進行掠奪的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 약탈의[하는]

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 生物を捕食する, 略奪する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) سلب, نهب, افتراس,‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮טורף, עושק, מנצל, שודד‬

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