What does "covetousness" mean?

Immoderate desire for the possession of something, especially for wealth.

What is a synonym for "covetousness"?

Common synonyms include: alacrity, avarice, avarice, avariciousness, avaritia, avidity.

Pronounced //ˈkʌvətəsnəs//.

//ˈkʌvətəsnəs// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Immoderate desire for the possession of something, especially for wealth. uncountable, usually
"He which will yield to Fear. muſt neceſſarily yield to Covetouſneſs or any inordinate Deſire."
2
reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins) wordnet
3
extreme greed for material wealth wordnet
4
an envious eagerness to possess something wordnet

"He which will yield to Fear. muſt neceſſarily yield to Covetouſneſs or any inordinate Deſire."

From Middle English covatusnes, covetousnes, coveytousnesse; equivalent to covetous + -ness.

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