Words / C2

r-uh-PAYSH-uh-s/rəˈpeɪʃəs/

Rapacious means grabbing more than is fair — greedy in an aggressive, feeding way. Greedy is everyday; grasping is close. Writers use rapacious fees / a rapacious company when the taking feels predatory. In speech, greedy or ripping people off is plainer; rapacious is a moral hiss in journalism. It is too strong for someone who takes the last biscuit once.

Meaning

Aggressively greedy; taking more than is fair.

Examples

• “Rapacious fees angered the students.”
• “Rapacious rents emptied the high street of ordinary shops.”
• “The memoir describes a rapacious agent, not a tough one.”

Good to know

Aggressively greedy. Everyday: greedy / grasping. Journalistic moral tone. Fees/companies/landlords.

Near in meaning

greedy

New