covetous

[ kuhv-i-tuhs ]

/ ˈkʌv ɪ təs /

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adjective

inordinately or wrongly desirous of wealth or possessions; greedy.

eagerly desirous.

RELATED WORDS

cupidity, greed

Nearby words

covert cloth, covert coat, covert sensitization, coverture, covet, covetous, covey, covilhã, covin, covina, covington

Origin of covetous

1250–1300; Middle English coveitous < Anglo-French, Old French; see covet, -ous

SYNONYMS FOR covetous

1 grasping, rapacious.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR covetous ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

cov·et·ous·ly, adverbcov·et·ous·ness, nounnon·cov·et·ous, adjectivenon·cov·et·ous·ly, adverb

non·cov·et·ous·ness, nouno·ver·cov·et·ous, adjectiveo·ver·cov·et·ous·ly, adverbo·ver·cov·et·ous·ness, nounun·cov·et·ous, adjectiveun·cov·et·ous·ly, adverbun·cov·et·ous·ness, noun

Synonym study

1. See avaricious.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for covetousness

In the first place, love of money, or covetousness, is at its root.
The Chainbearer|J. Fenimore Cooper
Likewise with covetousness: we are to understand that it is not to be named of Christians.
Epistle Sermons, Vol. II|Martin Luther
The devil of ambition tempts the great man to it; the devil of covetousness, the little man.
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 3 (of 3)|Theodore Parker
He imputed the blunder either to covetousness, or to unwillingness that any Englishman should have anything.
Sir Walter Ralegh|William Stebbing

His character was tried besides, not only with the bait of covetousness, but with the goad of fear.
The Confessions of Saint Augustine|Saint Augustine

British Dictionary definitions for covetousness

covetous

/ (ˈkʌvɪtəs) /

adjective

(usually postpositive and foll by of) jealously eager for the possession of something (esp the property of another person)

Derived Forms

covetously, adverbcovetousness, noun

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