Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Immoderately desirous of wealth or gain; greedy.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Characterized by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property; eager to acquire or possess.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French avaricios, of avarice, from Latin avaritia ("greed"), from avarus ("greedy"), of avere ("crave, long for").

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Examples

  • Men hate the individual whom they call avaricious only because there is nothing to be gained by him.

    A Philosophical Dictionary 2007

  • He is often called avaricious, because, like Frau von Sigmundskron, he is often very, very poor; but he has never been called a coward, nor a traitor, by any man, or class of men, who knew him.

    Greifenstein 1881

  • "It is sad to note that in some instances much-needed cooperation has been lacking and the economy has been held to ransom because of what one might call avaricious tendencies," the president said.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2000

  • The Lombards were called avaricious, vicious and cowardly; the Romans, seditious, turbulent and slanderous; the Sicilians, tyrannical and cruel; the inhabitants of

    The History of Education; educational practice and progress considered as a phase of the development and spread of western civilization Ellwood Patterson Cubberley 1904

  • Goldsmith was certainly more at home in this sort of writing, than in gravely lecturing people against the vice of gambling; in warning tradesmen how ill it became them to be seen at races; in demonstrating that justice is a higher virtue than generosity; and in proving that the avaricious are the true benefactors of society.

    Goldsmith English Men of Letters Series William Black 1869

  • So now, if these teams think I am going to refer to their avaricious stadium by a new isponsor's name, they are sadly mistaken.

    NY Daily News 2011

  • So now, if these teams think I am going to refer to their avaricious stadium by a new sponsor's name, they are sadly mistaken.

    NY Daily News 2011

  • Still, the injunction may have been given in view of the character of the individual Pharisees before him, who may have been known as avaricious men; and Christ may have known that to part with their money would be a test of love which they could not stand.

    The Life of Jesus Christ in Its Historical Connexion and Historical Developement. 1789-1850 1870

  • Finally, we know that Father Doria very likely will not be saved, because he is sadistic, "avaricious" 88, and completely insensible to Guilo's youth, innocence, gentleness, and beauty.

    The Boy Martyr; Or, Manfresti's Page. A Story of 1567 2007

  • Old Melmoth died in the course of that night, and died as he had lived, in a kind of avaricious delirium.

    Melmoth the Wanderer 2004

Comments

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  • adjective: excessively greedy

    Since avaricious desire is similar to gluttony or lust--sins of excess--it was listed as one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church.

    October 19, 2016