parasite
60
5.9
- noun
- /ˈpærəˌsaɪt/
- Offensive
:
parásito
- She felt that he was a parasite in their friendship, always asking for favors but never returning the kindness.
- a social parasite
- a financial parasite
That is who really is the parasite in this country.
- That is who really is the parasite in this country.
- I don't respect parasites that suck off of working class people.
- I am not a I'm not a parasite.
- But then the racketeers, they tried to cash in on on your success, the parasites.
- The government for whatever reason has chosen that not to prosecute these criminals, these absolute human parasites.
- You'd pick out some parasite or some crazy, you know, bug.
Examples
-
There is no truth to discover, and those who claim privileges on its behalf are parasites.
Academic text (2000) -
Said plainly, in the current arrangement, we all are hosts for corporate parasites.
Academic text (2010) -
That is who really is the parasite in this country.
-
So let's talk about this parasite, this absolute destruction of your success and your goals.
-
I am convinced that many army officials are public parasites in the worst sense of the word.
Fiction book (1990) -
Decent hard-working Americans like my dad... are getting rubbed out by social parasites.
-
Poiret and Michonneau are both financial parasites in search of an obliging host.
Academic text (1993) -
That lazy parasite, who never contributes anything, often takes advantage of his friends.
-
Many people consider him a parasite because he exploits others' generosity without giving back.
Synonyms
52
8.0
A person who takes advantage of others' bad situations to make money
27
6.1
A person who takes help or gifts without giving anything back
19
8.4
A person who takes advantage of others for their own benefit
14
8.3
A person who often gets food or money without paying
9
8.1
A person who takes advantage of others and gives nothing in return
7
6.0
A person who unfairly uses others to get money
6
7.7
A person who gains from other people's problems by taking advantage of them
5
7.1
A person who uses others selfishly to get money or power
5
7.2
A person who takes others' food or help without giving back
4
8.3
A person who harms or tricks another person to control them
1
8.2
A person who depends on others without giving anything back
A person who takes help or credit but does not help others
A person who takes advantage of others' kindness without giving anything back
A person who profits from other people's misfortune
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
1
4.1
A very small single cell that lives in human blood, spreads by mosquito bites and causes malaria
- UK
A rare endangered tree from New Caledonia that grows on another tree and takes food and water from it
How Exploitative
- Offensive
9
8.1
- Offensive
60
5.9
- Offensive
1
8.2
- Offensive
27
6.1
- Offensive
7
8.8
Surface Forms
Etymology
Parasite comes from Greek parts para- ('beside', as in parallel) and sitos ('food'), and it first described a person who ate at someone else's table. That's why calling a person a parasite means they live off other people and give nothing back.