coveted

[kuhv-i-tid]

adjective

1. wrongfully or inordinately desired.

   Pizarro led a party of conquistadores in an attempt to discover El Dorado—the source of the coveted gold of the Incas.

2. highly or eagerly wished for.

   The Green Building Council's gold certification is a coveted prize for sustainable building design.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of covet.

Other Word Forms

• uncoveted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of coveted¹

covet ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

As the price of rights to coveted sporting events skyrockets, the broadcasters have America’s most-loved tournament locked up for seven more years in exchange for relatively fixed annual payments.

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Guerrero took himself off of the market a season before he would have been the most coveted free agent available.

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“These things are coveted. There are very few around and a lot are in difficult jurisdictions,” said Duncan Hay, an analyst at broker Panmure Liberum.

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Her emotive alto would soon carry well beyond Brazil’s borders; the band landed a coveted gig for NPR’s Tiny Desk series in 2018.

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Government jobs are highly coveted in India because of the security and perks they offer.

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Related Words

• crave 
• envy 
• lust after www.thesaurus.com