What does rapaciousness mean?
Rapaciousness is the quality of being excessively greedy, acquisitive, or eager to take more than one needs or has a fair share of. In its most common use, the word describes a forceful and morally objectionable appetite for money, property, power, or advantage: a politician's rapaciousness may alienate supporters, while a corporation's rapaciousness may invite regulatory scrutiny. The related sense of a ravenous or insatiable appetite is also established, especially in vivid or literary descriptions of animals or hungry people. Because the noun carries a strongly negative connotation, it implies more than ordinary ambition or enthusiasm. It is most appropriate in formal commentary, literary description, and contexts where the speaker intends to condemn greed or excessive appetite.
nounThe quality of being excessively greedy or grasping, especially for money, possessions, or power. It can also refer to a ravenous appetite.
- Excessive greed or graspingness, especially for wealth, power, possessions, or opportunities.
- A ravenous or insatiable appetite.
"The rapaciousness of the corporation led to accusations of exploitation and unfair competition."
"Their rapaciousness transformed a modest family business into one of the country's largest conglomerates."
"The dog bounded toward the bowl with the rapaciousness of an animal that had not eaten all day."
The plural is rare; the noun is normally used in the abstract or uncountable sense.
"The novel portrays the rapaciousnesses of rival merchant houses."
Rapaciousness comes from the same Latin root as the verb “rape” in its older sense of seizing or plundering, giving the word its history of aggressive taking.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rapaciousness come from?
The word derives from the Latin adjective rapax, meaning greedy or seizing, which was formed from rapere, “to seize, take, or plunder.” The related English noun rapacity has the same Latin foundation, as do rapacious and rapine. The original sense of taking by force or plundering developed into the modern emphasis on excessive greed and acquisitiveness.
Related word forms
How rapaciousness is actually used
The noun is formal and strongly disapproving. Its second sense, referring to hunger, is less common than the sense of greedy or grasping behavior.
Easily confused with rapaciousness
Voraciousness usually emphasizes an intense appetite or need, whereas rapaciousness more often describes greedy or grasping behavior, particularly involving money, power, or possessions.