coveted
Americanadjective
-
wrongfully or inordinately desired.
Pizarro led a party of conquistadores in an attempt to discover El Dorado—the source of the coveted gold of the Incas.
-
highly or eagerly wished for.
The Green Building Council's gold certification is a coveted prize for sustainable building design.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of coveted
Explanation
Coveted means "in demand" or "desired." If the most coveted seat on the bus for you is the one right next to the bathroom, then you shouldn’t have any problem getting it because most people don't want it. Coveted comes from the Latin cupiditas, meaning "passionate desire, eagerness, ambition." Cupid isn't always involved, though — coveted is another way of saying "sought after." The poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox said, “If you are seeking health, wealth, usefulness, skill in any direction, there is nothing and no one who can hinder your attainment of the coveted boon, if you are willing to work and wait." So get to work for all that coveted health and wealth!
Vocabulary lists containing coveted
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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The Kite Runner
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This Week in Words: September 29 - October 5, 2018
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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.
Now she’s in the mix for a coveted best new artist nod at the Grammys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Beyond the apartment itself, its coveted downtown location places its next owner within easy reach of some of Manhattan’s best-known neighborhoods and attractions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
One of Ramabai's daughters is preparing for police recruitment and the other for the civil services - two fiercely competitive routes into the security and social status associated with a coveted and secure government job.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Eventually Rubezhnoy, a barrel-chested fighter, would take over as the head of Putin’s Federal Guards’ Service, Moscow’s equivalent of the Secret Service, a coveted position with proximity to the country’s most powerful man.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
"Only coveted for their beauty, when they can help solve so many problems."
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
