as in greedy
having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions
an avaricious scheme to con the elderly couple out of thousands of dollars
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of avaricious
Stalin’s apprenticeship in high-stakes diplomacy had shown him to be cunning but also opportunistic, avaricious, obdurate.
—
Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2017
Few places in the U.S. are more fraught with unresolved tension than South Dakota’s Black Hills, land stolen from the Sioux after treaties had been signed in order for avaricious Americans to pursue gold.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 7 July 2024
To make the situation even worse, many traders were smart, young, risk-loving, and avaricious.
—Alan S. Blinder, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2015
Code Words Across the centuries, the conspiracy theory of the manipulative, avaricious Jew has worn many faces, from Judas to Shylock to the Rothschilds.
—Alex Lemonides, New York Times, 9 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for avaricious
Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2017
Few places in the U.S. are more fraught with unresolved tension than South Dakota’s Black Hills, land stolen from the Sioux after treaties had been signed in order for avaricious Americans to pursue gold.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 7 July 2024
To make the situation even worse, many traders were smart, young, risk-loving, and avaricious.
—Alan S. Blinder, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2015
Code Words Across the centuries, the conspiracy theory of the manipulative, avaricious Jew has worn many faces, from Judas to Shylock to the Rothschilds.
—Alex Lemonides, New York Times, 9 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for avaricious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avaricious
Adjective
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But the vast majority are cynical and greedy and scared of losing their jobs.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 July 2025
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A far cry from the mild-mannered Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, Tully is an abusive, hot-headed, and greedy slime ball who leverages post-war desperation into a thriving criminal business.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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The new film — directed by Gareth Edwards — stars Scarlett Johansson as mercenary Zora Bennett and Jonathan Bailey as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis as Bennett leads a dangerous expedition to secure the genetic material of the world's three largest dinosaurs.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
5 July 2025
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Detractors might argue that lo-fi beats was always mercenary music engineered and optimized to hook sad bois with no taste, and good riddance.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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As growth in the region has pushed west and commercial development has accelerated beyond Boise, Idaho’s second-largest city has added jobs, boosted wages and caught the eye of employers eager to set up shop in a central location and cut their workers’ commute times.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
14 July 2025
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Applications for the program will open later this year and the government is optimistic about strong interest from those eager to capitalize on this opportunity.—
Panorama Media Ltd,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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The competitive battle for smaller players continued into the early 1960s until antitrust laws curtailed the acquisitive sprees.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
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Over its history OpenText has been an highly acquisitive company to build out its software stack.—
GuruFocus,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This is, in part, correct: Voldemort is extremely covetous of power.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
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Image Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings The sudden appearance of seven mysterious doors across the world draws attention from religious sects, covetous billionaires and everyday people who speculate over what lies on the other side.—
Laura Thompson,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Avaricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avaricious. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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