avaricious
- avaricious
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/av'euh rish"euhs/, adj.
characterized by avarice; greedy; covetous.
[1425-75; late ME; see AVARICE, -IOUS]
Syn. AVARICIOUS, COVETOUS, GREEDY, RAPACIOUS share the sense of desiring to possess more of something than one already has or might in normal circumstances be entitled to. AVARICIOUS often implies a pathological, driven greediness for money or other valuables and usually suggests a concomitant miserliness:
the cheerless dwelling of an avaricious usurer. COVETOUS implies a powerful and usually illicit desire for the property or possessions of another:
The book collector was openly covetous of my rare first edition.
GREEDY, the most general of these terms, suggests a naked and uncontrolled desire for almost anything - food and drink, money, emotional gratification: embarrassingly greedy for praise. RAPACIOUS, stronger and more assertive than the other terms, implies an aggressive, predatory, insatiable, and unprincipled desire for possessions and power: a rapacious frequenter of tax sales and forced auctions.
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Universalium.
2010.
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Avaricious — Av a*ri cious ([a^]v [.a]*r[i^]sh [u^]s), a. [Cf. F. avaricieux.] Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property. [1913 Webster] Syn: Greedy; stingy; rapacious; griping; sordid; close. Usage: {Avaricious},… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
avaricious — index illiberal, insatiable, mercenary, parsimonious, rapacious, venal Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
avaricious — late 15c., from O.Fr. avaricios greedy, covetous (Mod.Fr. avaricieux), from avarice (see AVARICE (Cf. avarice)). An O.E. word for it was feoh georn. Related: Avariciously; avariciousness … Etymology dictionary
avaricious — *covetous, acquisitive, grasping, greedy Analogous words: miserly, close, closefisted, parsimonious, *stingy Antonyms: generous Contrasted words: *liberal, bountiful, bounteous, openhanded, munificent: lavish, prodigal (see PROFUSE) … New Dictionary of Synonyms
avaricious — [adj] greedy covetous, gluttonous, hoarding, money grubbing*, pleonectic, predatory, rapacious, selfish, tight*; concepts 404,542 … New thesaurus
avaricious — [av΄ə rish′əs] adj. full of avarice; greedy for riches SYN. GREEDY avariciously adv. avariciousness n … English World dictionary
avaricious — av•a•ri•cious [[t]ˌæv əˈrɪʃ əs[/t]] adj. characterized by avarice; greedy; covetous • Etymology: 1425–75 av a•ri′cious•ly, adv. av a•ri′cious•ness, n. syn: avaricious, covetous, greedy suggest a desire to possess more of something than one needs… … From formal English to slang
avaricious — [[t]æ̱vərɪ̱ʃəs[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n (disapproval) An avaricious person is very greedy for money or possessions. He sacrificed his own career so that his avaricious brother could succeed … English dictionary
avaricious — adjective /ˌævəˈrɪʃəs/ Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property. In a word, he was called a hard, avaricious, rapacious man, whose chief business was to enrich himself... See Also: avarice … Wiktionary
avaricious — I (Roget s IV) modif. Syn. greedy, grasping, covetous, mercenary; see greedy 1 . See Synonym Study at greedy . II (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) (VOCABULARY WORD) a. [AV ur ISH us] greedy. He was after her money; he was avaricious. SYN.: greedy,… … English dictionary for students
