greed

[greed]

noun

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

   Synonyms: rapacity, ravenousness, voracity, covetousness, cupidity, avidity, avarice
   Antonyms: generosity

greed

/ ɡriːd /

noun

1. excessive consumption of or desire for food; gluttony

2. excessive desire, as for wealth or power

Other Word Forms

• greedless adjective
• greedsome adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of greed¹

First recorded in 1600–10; back formation from greedy

Word History and Origins

Origin of greed¹

C17: back formation from _greedy

Synonym Study

Greed, greediness denote an excessive, extreme desire for something, often more than one's proper share. Greed means avid desire for gain or wealth (unless some other application is indicated) and is definitely uncomplimentary in implication: His greed drove him to exploit his workers. Greediness, when unqualified, suggests a craving for food; it may, however, be applied to all avid desires, and need not be always uncomplimentary: greediness for knowledge, fame, praise.

Example Sentences

To Thucydides, Athenian democracy failed first to contain Sparta and then to contain its own weaknesses of faction and greed.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed."

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They perceive American problems with capitalism—economic inequality, rising housing prices, corrupting greed—as requiring a governmental solution.

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He climbed to his feet, and his eyes narrowed with greed.

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Sgt Marshall added the father and son were "purely driven by greed, without morals and demonstrating no regard for the harm they had caused".

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Related Words

• avarice 
• excess 
• gluttony 
• hunger 
• longing 
• selfishness 

When To Use

What does greed mean?

Greed is an excessive desire for more, especially for more money and possessions.The adjective greedy is used to describe people who are filled with greed, as in greedy billionaires, or actions that are based on greed, as in It was a greedy scheme to squeeze more money out of people.  Greed and greedy are always used negatively to criticize the excessive desire for more.Greed is often thought to influence people to do bad things in their obsession to acquire more money or more stuff. In the expression “the love of money is the root of all evil,” the love of money is another way of saying greed.Less commonly, greed can mean the same thing as gluttony—an excessive desire for food.Example: Wall Street’s unrestrained greed has infected every part of American society, from politics to healthcare to education.