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.
The company also said Wilson is trying to “regain increased influence over the company that he has coveted since he left.”
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
Wes Streeting was in Parliament with his closest advisers mulling whether he should quit the cabinet job as health secretary that he had coveted for years.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
He joins the already-announced Maura Higgins of “Traitors” and “Love Island” and Ciara Miller of “Summer House” as competitors for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy, with more participants yet to be revealed.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
While he has openly coveted critical minerals, he has also favoured bilateral deals over large, multilateral ventures.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
We didn’t have any other food we were used to eating, like chicken, vegetables, or our coveted whole milk.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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.
