covetousness

American  

[kuhv-i-tuhs-nis] / ˈkʌv ɪ təs nɪs /

noun

1. eager or excessive desire, especially for wealth or possessions.

   Social media so often encourages us to compare ourselves to others, inspiring covetousness and insecurity.

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Other Word Forms

• noncovetousness noun
• overcovetousness noun
• uncovetousness noun

Etymology

Origin of covetousness

covetous ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

The world had caught him; pleasure, covetousness, idleness, and finally also that vice that he had always despised and scorned as the most foolish—acquisitiveness.

From Literature

“Certainly. Go, dear, I forgot that you have any home but this,” and Mrs. March pressed the white hand that wore the wedding ring, as if asking pardon for her maternal covetousness.

From Literature

But before we started I looked with a certain longing through the glass door at a Luigi Franchi 12-gauge double with a Purdy lock so beautiful that I was filled with covetousness.

From Literature

That scarcity, in turn, promotes competition, covetousness and breeds customers who keep coming back for the thrill of it all.

From Forbes

Nobody wants any item of clothing that the other is wearing; all are equally undesirable, so thieving and general adolescent covetousness are reduced.

From Time