Meaning & use

piratical

adjective·Advanced

Relating to or resembling pirates, especially in behavior involving theft or lawless raiding.

See it in a sentence

The film depicted piratical raids along the Caribbean coast in vivid detail.

Critics accused the startup of piratical business practices that copied a rival's designs.

A note on using this word

Piratical can describe literal pirate activity or, figuratively, any ruthless, unauthorized taking of someone else's property or ideas.

Words with a similar meaning

thievingpredatory

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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