avaricious Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth
    covetous; prehensile; greedy; grasping; grabby.
    • they are avaricious and will do anything for money
    • casting covetous eyes on his neighbor's fields
    • a grasping old miser
    • grasping commercialism
    • greedy for money and power
    • grew richer and greedier
    • prehensile employers stingy with raises for their employees

WordNet

Av`a*ri"cious adjective
Etymology
Cf. F. avaricieux.
Definitions
  1. Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property. Syn. -- Greedy; stingy; rapacious; griping; sordid; close. -- Avaricious, Covetous, Parsimonious, Penurious, Miserly, Niggardly. The avaricious eagerly grasp after it at the expense of others, though not of necessity with a design to save, since a man may be covetous and yet a spendthrift. The penurious, parsimonious, and miserly save money by disgraceful self-denial, and the niggardly by meanness in their dealing with others. We speak of persons as covetous in getting, avaricious in retaining, parsimonious in expending, penurious or miserly in modes of living, niggardly in dispensing. -- Av`a*ri"cious*ly, adv -- Av`a*ri"cious*ness, n.

Webster 1913