predatory

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“
Instead, they blame subprime lenders for becoming "predatory" - when they were simply taking the Boston Fed rules to their logical conclusion while broadening the mortgage market.

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Definitions (11)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

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

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (50)

  • His expression was predatory, and he'd found his prey. —  Unfinished Business by Amy Fetze
  • It was a perfect path, exactly the kind that usually led to something huge, predatory, and stationary, like a tangle tree. —  The Source of Magic
  • “As you wish.” The purr in his voice was distinctly predatory, the speculation in his eyes equally so. —  A Gentleman's Honor
  • SkyWi filed a lawsuit against Qwest in federal court in New Mexico earlier in December regarding Qwest's predatory, anti-competitive and unfair trade practices. —  Press Releases
  • Because those crimes were not prosecuted, Gillmore was not classified as a predatory sex offender.
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Latin praedātōrius, plundering, from praedārī, to plunder, from praeda, booty; see ghend- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. = Italian predatorio, from Latin prædatorius, rapacious, plundering, prædator, a plunderer, from prædari, plunder: see prey, v.
 

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/ˈprɛdətəri/
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