acquisitive

American  

[uh-kwiz-i-tiv] / əˈkwɪz ɪ tɪv /

Also acquisitory

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

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acquisitive British  

/ əˈkwɪzɪtɪv /

adjective

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

   we currently live in an acquisitive society

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Usage

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.

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

Etymology

Origin of acquisitive

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

Example Sentences

Danaher has a history of being acquisitive, and the company is already a big player in diagnostics and other medical technology.

From The Wall Street Journal

Billionaire businessman Brad Jacobs has built QXO into a leading building-materials firm with more than $2 billion in quarterly sales, using the same acquisitive approach he applied to enterprises in waste management and logistics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Deputy Chief Constable Jayne Meir, the NPCC's first lead for freight crime, said a new team at Opal - a police intelligence unit tackling organised acquisitive crime - would start targeting the issue next year.

From BBC

The acquisitive power of the very rich is soaring.

From The Wall Street Journal

European engineers and entrepreneurs since the dot-com boom of the 1990s have flocked to the U.S. for its acquisitive consumers, bountiful funding and love of innovation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• rapacious