esurient

[ih-soor-ee-uhnt]

adjective

1. hungry; greedy.

   Be wary of esurient moneylenders.

   Synonyms: avaricious, voracious

esurient

/ ɪˈsjʊərɪənt /

adjective

1. greedy; voracious

Other Word Forms

• esurience noun
• esuriency noun
• esuriently adverb
• nonesurient adjective
• nonesuriently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of esurient¹

First recorded in 1665–75; from Latin ēsurient- (stem of ēsuriēns, present participle of ēsurīre ) “hungering,” equivalent to ēsur- “hunger” + -ent- -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of esurient¹

C17: from Latin ēsurīre to be hungry, from edere to eat

Example Sentences

Has the surfeit of wild and varied musical content available to anyone with a Web browser inadvertently engineered a new breed of omnivorous consumer—esurient, demanding fresh permutations?

Read more on The New Yorker

Oscar—the amiable, irresponsible, esurient Oscar—with no more sense of a picture than of the fit of a coat, has the courage of the opinions ... of others!

Read more on Project Gutenberg

"Oscar—the amiable, irresponsible, esurient Oscar—with no more sense of a picture than of the fit of a coat, has the courage of the opinions ... of others!"

Read more on Project Gutenberg

Lowest of all are those whose esurient vanity, acting on a frivolous levity of mind, urges them to make Literature a plaything for display.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

"Oscar—the amiable, irresponsible, esurient Oscar—with no more sense of a picture than of the fit of a coat, has the courage of the opinions . . . . of others!"

Read more on Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• eager 
• hungry 
• impatient 
• rapacious 
• selfish