RAPACITY Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

rapacity

noun

rə-ˈpa-sə-tē

Definition of rapacity

as in greed

an intense selfish desire for wealth or possessions the rapacity of the Spanish conquistadors was such that they were undeterred by the very preposterousness of the legend of El Dorado

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of rapacity This variation of socialism aimed to blunt the rapacity of capitalism rather than sharpen its contradictions and hasten the coming revolution. — Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026 The French—and, later, Anglo (Wilde, Beardsley, Rossetti)—attitude, mannered and morbid, was perhaps too Old World, at odds with our cheerful, Protestant rapacity. — Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026 Unlike the specialized literary magazine and its informal cousin, the literary blog, the general-interest newspaper has a kind of noble rapacity, an encyclopedic ambition to wrap its arms around the whole of the world. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026 Trump’s entire doctrine is naked rapacity, from Venezuela to hijacking the Kennedy Center to hideously remaking the White House in his own gaudy image. — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026 In recent books, French has borrowed elements of the western genre to explore corporate rapacity in the era of climate change and looked at life in a small Irish village with the ear to both insider and outsider. — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025 Adjacent to the Gold Room was the Bravo Bazaar, a mall of real commercial rapacity. — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023 Nor has there ever been a time when the link between our rapacity and our present misery has felt as clear. — Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2023 For decades, sustainability efforts have focused on repair rather than renewal; at the same time, technological progress has plundered natural resources with increasing rapacity, and labor costs have outpaced material costs. — Longreads, 23 Sep. 2022

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rapacity

greed

Noun

To be successful now is to achieve the satisfaction of one’s greed, which of course is enlarged by every additional prospect of satisfaction.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
VanNess says to help with housing affordability, there needs to be more focus on nonprofit developers whose aim is not greed.

— Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of greed

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rapaciousness

rapacity

rape

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“Rapacity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapacity. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of rapacity

noun

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