Rapacious

(pronounced ruh-pay-shus) adjective

Definition

1. taking by force; disposed to plundering. 2. excessively greedy or grasping; extremely acquisitive; ravenous. 3. living on live prey; predatory.

Main Example

According to a recent front-page article in The Wall Street Journal, the Sumatran rain forest--one of the world's most biodiverse and teaming with wildlife including tigers, elephants, tapirs, and tree-dwelling apes--has been cut down by over 50% over the last 20 years. And who is behind this alarming destruction of a vital natural habitat? The responsible parties turn out to be manufacturers of paper and pulp who are rapaciously seeking out raw material at the lowest possible dollar cost.

Workplace Examples

If you're in the business of selling state-of-the-art road construction equipment, then our assistant city manager Chris is your guy. He has a rapacious appetite for that kind of stuff. They say Chris never saw new road-building machinery that he did not like.
When I read about the corporate financial scandals such as those at Tyco and WorldCom, I'm left wondering what led to such rapaciousness on the part of their executives. After all, each of these guys was already making millions of dollars a year, yet they went about looting their companies!

Other Examples

in a speech at his Toastmasters club, this author saying indignantly: "Yet another grand mammal is joining the list of endangered species! The other day, a zoo keeper here in Houston informed me that the giant eland--the world's largest antelope which has massive, spirally twisted horns--is now being eliminated fast and furious, thanks to enticing ads on eBay and elsewhere that offer hunters an eland shoot for less than two thousand dollars! People who describe man as being a ravenous and rapacious predator are not exaggerating!"
a recent report on CBS suggesting that some former, rapacious officials of the famous Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, working hand in glove with shady intermediaries, acquired stolen antiquities
a CEO rapaciously acquiring other companies in his quest to become the most powerful in the industry
time and again, news emanating from China about violent clashes between farmers and rapacious developers who, with the help of heavily armed police, are unlawfully seizing farm land for their grandiose projects