greedy

adjective

1)

a greedy eater

Syn:

gluttonous, ravenous, voracious, intemperate, self-indulgent, insatiable, wolfish; informal piggish, piggy

2)

a greedy capitalist

Syn:

avaricious, acquisitive, covetous, grasping, materialistic, mercenary, possessive; informal money-grubbing, money-grabbing, grabby

3)

she is greedy for an award

Syn:

eager, avid, hungry, craving, longing, yearning, hankering; impatient, anxious; informal dying, itching

••

greedy, acquisitive, covetous, avaricious, rapacious, gluttonous

The desire for money and the things it can buy is often associated with Americans. But not all Americans are greedy, which implies an insatiable desire to possess or acquire something, beyond what one needs or deserves (greedy for profits). Someone who is greedy for food might be called gluttonous, which emphasizes consumption as well as desire (a gluttonous appetite for sweets), but greedy is a derogatory term only when the object of longing is itself evil or when it cannot be possessed without harm to oneself or others (a reporter greedy for information). A greedy child may grow up to be an avaricious adult, which implies a fanatical greediness for money or other valuables. Rapacious is an even stronger term, with an emphasis on taking things by force (so rapacious in his desire for land that he forced dozens of families from their homes). Acquisitive, on the other hand, is a more neutral word suggesting a willingness to exert effort in acquiring things (an acquisitive woman who filled her house with antiques and artwork), and not necessarily material things (a probing, acquisitive mind). Covetous, in contrast to acquisitive, implies an intense desire for something as opposed to the act of acquiring or possessing it. It is often associated with the Ten Commandments (Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife) and suggests a longing for something that rightfully belongs to another.