avaricious
/avəˈrɪʃəs
/adjective
Having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain: an avaricious, manipulative woman...
- Early poverty left her with an avaricious streak and occasionally greed has cost her.
- Why should I have to stand up and behave like other greedy, acquisitive, avaricious people, arguing and shouting and snarling about something which is a well known truth and is not to be questioned?
- The first act deals with the beastly behaviour of bees and act two features avaricious beetles, greedy ducks and dopey crickets with a pronounced Cork accent.
Synonyms
grasping, acquisitive, covetous, greedy, rapacious, mercenary, materialistic, mean, miserly
informal money-grubbing, money-grabbing
North American informal grabby
rare pleonectic, Mammonish, Mammonistic
Derivatives
avariciously
- As China sheds its cultural opposition to consumerism, decadence and so on, it is quickly and avariciously making the move from commodity manufacturing to rolling-out consumer brands.
- I especially liked the way that PC looked avariciously at it last night and said ‘Ohhh, where did you get that?’
- TV dramas and shows are partly to blame for this trend if people pursue money avariciously.
avariciousness
- I did not know that this covers a grasping avariciousness by the family towards the children.
- This has, he argues, ‘removed the taint of avariciousness that had always discoloured the market’.
- I would suggest however, that the richer members of York society are just as guilty and that it's their avariciousness that is also to blame.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French avaricieux, based on Latin avarus 'greedy'.