acquisitive

Also ac·quis·i·to·ry

[uh-kwiz-i-tiv]

adjective

1. tending or seeking to acquire and own, often greedily; eager to get wealth, possessions, etc..

   our acquisitive impulses; acquisitive societies.

   Synonyms: avaricious, grasping, covetous

acquisitive

/ əˈkwɪzɪtɪv /

adjective

1. inclined or eager to acquire things, esp material possessions

   we currently live in an acquisitive society

Other Word Forms

• acquisitively adverb
• acquisitiveness noun
• nonacquisitive adjective
• nonacquisitively adverb
• nonacquisitiveness noun
• preacquisitive adjective
• preacquisitively adverb
• preacquisitiveness noun
• unacquisitive adjective
• unacquisitively adverb
• unacquisitiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of acquisitive¹

1630–40; < Medieval Latin, Late Latin acquīsītīvus; acquisition, -ive

Example Sentences

Mr Makepeace said the majority were for "relatively minor dishonesty offences", most usually shoplifting, and he had a "record typical of a life of acquisitive crime to fund drug use".

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The Offending 2 Recovery programme started work in 2018 in Erdington, Birmingham, in response to research that revealed addiction to drugs drove as much as 50% of all acquisitive crime in the area.

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It was a day in which an acquisitive foreign power had sent an uninvited delegation to the world's largest island with an uncomfortable message.

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Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, National Police Chiefs' Council lead for acquisitive crime, says they are "committed" to reducing theft and pursuing offenders.

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"We are doing all we can to reduce thefts and pursue offenders, especially those prolific and habitual offenders, who cause misery within the community," said Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, the NPCC’s lead for acquisitive crime.

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Related Words

• rapacious 

When To Use

What does acquisitive mean?

Acquisitive most generally means tending or seeking to gain possession of wealth or material things, especially in a greedy way.It’s perhaps most commonly used in a more specific way to describe companies that are known for acquiring (buying) other companies and properties—which are often referred to as acquisitions. (However, it’s used much less commonly than acquisition.) This sense of the word doesn’t necessarily imply greediness like the more general sense does, but it can imply that such companies tend to buy up competitors.Example: The tech conglomerates are notoriously acquisitive, buying out any startup that has some technology they want.