The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
adj. Living by seizing or taking prey; predatory.
adj. Given to victimizing, plundering, or destroying for one's own gain: "the most vicious, predacious, esurient and desperate elements of this society” ( Claude Brown).
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
adj. living by or given to victimizing others for personal gain
adj. hunting and killing other animals for food
Word Usage
"Not only the owl, but many other birds more familiarly known as predacious in their habits, are useful by destroying great numbers of mice and moles."