Synonyms for covetous
- adjective
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Avaricious
avaricious, greedy, acquisitive, desirous, rapacious, grasping, miserly, selfish, sordid, eager, voracious, grabby, mercenary, prehensile, piggish, esurient, gluttonous, avid
Definitions
- adj. 1
Distastefully desirous or keen, especially for something belonging to someone else; avaricious.
Choose the right word
Avaricious and covetous refer especially to acquisition, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, and penurious to expenditure.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- greedy Don't be so greedy or you'll wind up with nothing.
- desirous She was desirous of her son's success.
- acquisitive He is acquisitive of knowledge.
- avaricious Mr. Jackson is an avaricious old man.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| covetous | steady | |
| greedy | rising | |
| desirous | falling | |
| acquisitive | steady | |
| avaricious | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- avid2
- 5 letters
- eager2
- 6 letters
- greedy2, sordid2, grabby
- 7 letters
- jealous2, selfish2, envious3, miserly3, piggish
- 8 letters
- grasping2, desirous3, esurient
- 9 letters
- mercenary4, voracious3, rapacious3
- 10 letters
- gluttonous3, prehensile, avaricious
- 11 letters
- acquisitive4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (avid2 = 2 syllables).