greedy
Americanadjective
-
greedier,
comparative
-
greediest
superlative
-
excessively or inordinately desirous of wealth, profit, etc..
The greedy owners of the company paid their employees too little and charged their customers too much.
-
having an excessive desire for food or drink.
That greedy guy ate four of those brownies before anyone else got any!
- Synonyms:
- insatiable, gluttonous, voracious, ravenous
-
keenly desirous; eager (often followed by of orfor ).
greedy for praise.
-
requiring or using much of a specified thing (often used in combination).
These big trucks are fuel-greedy.
Crops that are greedy for water should not be planted in dry regions.
-
Computers.
-
of or relating to an algorithm, search, etc., that operates one step at a time instead of checking all possible paths or solutions all at once and then selecting the one with the best overall outcome.
A result may be achieved faster with a greedy search, but that result is not always the correct or best one.
-
of or relating to an operator or quantifier in a search query that will return the largest match result possible.
-
adjective
-
excessively desirous of food or wealth, esp in large amounts; voracious
-
eager (for)
a man greedy for success
Usage
What does greedy mean? Greedy means filled with greed—an excessive desire for more, especially for more money and possessions. It can be used to describe people, 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 being greedy. Less commonly, greedy can mean the same thing as gluttonous—having an excessive desire for food. Example: These greedy hedge fund managers have more money than they can spend in a lifetime, yet they insist on trying to get away with paying the least amount of taxes possible.
Synonym Usage
See avaricious, greed.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
greedinessnoun
-
overgreedinessnoun
-
nongreedyadjective
-
overgreedyadjective
-
ungreedyadjective
-
greedilyadverb
-
overgreedilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of greedy
First recorded before 900; Middle English gredy, Old English grædig; cognate with Old Norse grāthugr, Gothic gredags
Explanation
Being greedy means you want more and more of something, especially money. But you can be greedy for just about anything, including food, drink, or fame. People who are greedy are a little too interested in having something. Usually, that something is money. Rich people who keep trying to get more and more money are often accused by being greedy. A gluttonous person is greedy for food. If you're obsessed with something and can't get enough of it, you're greedy for it. This is a word for extreme, grasping, devouring behavior.
Vocabulary lists containing greedy
Beowulf vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
We're Excited! Synonyms for "Eager"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Terrible Things"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
There’s a saying on Wall Street that the time to be fearful is when others are greedy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Tossing her blond locks like a hair-metal vixen, she’s a needy, greedy, selfie-taking try-hard who — horrors — frets over her own mass appeal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
But it’s also a story about, say, how a creature’s loneliness might make him greedy and petulant, and how sometimes the best solution is to feed someone’s heart as opposed to their impulses.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
These victims aren’t greedy or stupid; they’re vulnerable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Thing was, Ma was big on not being too greedy when you’re at other people’s houses, so Genie didn’t want to ask Grandpop for it.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
But it has also made me greedier because now I know what gold feels like.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2023
And now, they have just become greedier and don’t know where to stop.”
From Fox News ● Dec. 8, 2018
Those like Silver who reached the pinnacle of power get even greedier.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 26, 2018
Just when you thought companies and rich folks could not get any greedier, or sneakier.
From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2018
I am getting greedier and greedier with the thought that two of us can bring home more corn than Kim can by himself.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
The show finds ways to expose the worst in its characters, their pettiest, most vengeful, greediest parts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Only the greediest dullards seem to have kept their focus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
The wiliest or greediest adult children have their eye on the main prize: real estate.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2025
“We have so much land, so much resource, but we must be one of the greediest countries out there.”
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
Whose whims had been taken seriously by adults and who grew up to be the stingiest, greediest people on earth and out of their stinginess grew their stingy little love that ate everything in sight.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
