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predatorily

predatorily

8.0
In a way that uses others to get money or power
  • adverb
  • /ˌprɛdəˈtɔːrɪli/
translation icon : de manera agresiva
  • He looked predatorily at the opportunity to take over the project.

Examples

  • The company acted predatorily to eliminate its competition.

  • The company expanded predatorily by buying out its smaller competitors.

  • Some animals hunt predatorily to survive in the wild.

  • He approached the deal predatorily, seeking to take advantage of the weaker party.

  • The lion watched the herd of wildebeest predatorily, waiting for the right moment to attack.

  • Investors sometimes act predatorily, buying out smaller companies to eliminate competition.

  • The hawk circled overhead predatorily, scanning the ground for potential prey.

Synonyms

exploitatively
vspredatorily
8.2

Using people unfairly to get money or benefit

is more aggressive and animallike in how it exploits others
carnivorously
vspredatorily
8.6

In a very aggressive way to beat rivals

is more about direct predatory attack and exploiting weaknesses
like buzzard over a carcass
vspredatorily
  • Informal
9.9

Someone acts in a greedy way while waiting to gain from someone else's trouble

is broader, applying to general aggressive exploitation not only misfortune

Antonyms

By working together to reach a common goal

1 3.3

In a way that helps and encourages someone

How Predatory

aggressively
126 4.9
predatorily
8.0
cautiously
70 2.3

Surface Forms

predatorily positive

Morphology

predatorily = predatory (semi-transparent) = predator + y + ly

Formed by the same derivational steps, but the corporate/exploitative sense is a figurative extension of the literal predator meaning.

Etymology

The word predatorily comes from predator, from the Latin praeda meaning 'prey' or 'loot'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of someone who takes 'prey' or 'loot' from others, so predatorily describes aggressive or greedy actions like a company buying out smaller competitors.