Avarice

//ˈævəɹɪs// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greed for wealth uncountable, usually

    "By multiplying the means of gratification, by promoting the introduction and circulation of the precious metals, those darling objects of human avarice and enterprise, it serves to vivify and invigorate the channels of industry, and to make them flow with greater activity and copiousness."

  2. 2
    reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins) wordnet
  3. 3
    Inordinate desire for some supposed good. uncountable, usually
  4. 4
    extreme greed for material wealth wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
avariciousnessavariciousnesscovetousnesscovetousnesscupiditygreed

Example

More examples

"Young men are apt to fall a victim to their own avarice."

Etymology

From Middle English avarice, from Old French, from Latin avāritia, from avārus (“greedy”).

More for "avarice"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.