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Webster 1913 Edition


Avaricious

Avˊa-ri′cious

(ăvˊȧ-rĭsh′ŭs)
,
Adj.
[Cf. F.
avaricieux
.]
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 desire wealth with a view to hoard it. The covetous 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.
Avˊa-ri′cious-ly
,
adv.
Avˊa-ri′cious-ness
,
Noun.

Webster 1828 Edition


Avaricious

AVARI'CIOUS

,
Adj.
Covetous; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property.

Definition 2024


avaricious

avaricious

English

Alternative forms

  • avaritious (obsolete)

Adjective

avaricious (comparative more avaricious, superlative most avaricious)

  1. Actuated by avarice; extremely greedy for wealth or material gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property.
    • Robert Montgomery Bird (1806-1854)
      In a word, he was called a hard, avaricious, rapacious man, whose chief business was to enrich himself...

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:greedy

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

  • avaricious” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).