gluttony
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of gluttony
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English glotonie, glutonie, from Old French glotonie; equivalent to glutton 1 + -y 3
Explanation
Called one of the seven deadly sins, gluttony is characterized by a limitless appetite for food and drink and overindulgence to the point where one is no longer eating just to live, but rather living to eat. Present in Old French and Middle English, the word glutonie derived from the Latin gluttire, "to swallow," which in turn came from gula, the word for "throat." In some cultures, gluttony is considered an indication of the country’s wealth, but in most cases it is simply gross and unacceptable. Nowadays, gluttony is seen as an emotional cry for help, as succinctly put by author Peter De Vries, who said, “Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.”
Vocabulary lists containing gluttony
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Most of the unhappy denizens of Dante’s imagined hell are being eternally tormented for specific moral crimes in categories covering lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
Rather, this a lean showdown between self-control and gluttony, between our modest heroes and a greedy titan.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2025
Each cone represents one of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2023
The consequences of this gluttony ripple through the ecosystem, as satiated birds ignore their usual prey of caterpillars, which then grow fat eating the leaves of oaks, researchers report today in Science.
From Science Magazine • Oct. 19, 2023
“I think sloth has already been accounted for, and gluttony is coming up next.”
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
