avarice

[ av-er-is ]

/ ˈæv ər ɪs /

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See synonyms for avarice on Thesaurus.com

noun

insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.

OTHER WORDS FOR avarice

cupidity.

See synonyms for avarice on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of avarice

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin avāritia, equivalent to avār(us) “greedy” + -itia -ice

Words nearby avarice

avant-garde, avant-gardism, Avanti, avantist, Avar, avarice, avaricious, avascular, avast, avatar, avaunt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use avarice in a sentence

He urged everyone to turn this avarice against invaders with advice like “Instead of dressing your yard with herbicides, you might want to consider balsamic vinaigrette.”
Welcome to invasivorism, the boldest solution to ethical eating yet|Matt Hongoltz-Hetling|December 7, 2021|Popular-Science
There was a whole thought in the 1980s, that Wall Street greed thing and this sense of avarice was in the air.
Al Pacino Does What He Wants to Do: 'The Humbling,' Scorsese, and That 'Scarface' Remake|Alex Suskind|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is this mindless atrocity, driven by both avarice and animosity, that is at play in the film.
Holocaust Horrors Haunt the Films ‘Ida’ And ‘The German Doctor’|Jack Schwartz|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And his small-scale sculpture Avarice and Lust (1887) embodies the two sins via a masculine form entangled with a female one.
Mapplethorpe’s Artistic Twin|Sarah Moroz|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

TopsyBy Michael Daly A tragic tale of a circus elephant who fell victim to human competition and avarice.
This Week’s Hot Reads: July 1, 2013|Nicholas Mancusi|July 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Avarice will likely bring a politician down, unless the pol can be portrayed as a champion of the little guy or a cause.
The Taxonomy of Scandals: Is Obama Nearing a Breaking Point?|Lloyd Green|May 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Greater mischiefs happen often from folly, meanness, and vanity than from the greater sins of avarice and ambition.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
His avarice was disgusting beyond words, and with avarice went a tendency to underhand dealing, harshness, and malice.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Thus age and avarice can always over-leap barriers which, to the young and romantic, are insurmountable.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
When anger, avarice, and concupiscence convulse the peace of thy soul, look up to this star and call on Mary.
Mary, Help of Christians|Various
Then go, miserable wretch,” said the trooper, relinquishing his grasp; “either avarice or delusion has led a noble heart astray!
The Spy|J. Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for avarice

avarice

/ (ˈævərɪs) /

noun

extreme greed for riches; cupidity

Derived forms of avarice

avaricious, adjectiveavariciously, adverbavariciousness, noun

Word Origin for avarice

C13: from Old French, from Latin avaritia, from avārus covetous, from avēre to crave

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

avarice

OTHER WORDS FOR avarice

Origin of avarice

Words nearby avarice

Words related to avarice

How to use avarice in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for avarice

Derived forms of avarice

Word Origin for avarice