Synonyms of avaricious

avaricious

adjective

ˌa-və-ˈri-shəs 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• greedy
• mercenary
• eager
• acquisitive
• covetous
• avid
• grasping
• rapacious
• coveting
• moneygrubbing
• grabby
• materialistic
• desirous
• miserly
• insatiable
• ravenous
• piggish
• gluttonous
• hoggish
• egocentric
• piggy
• unquenchable
• voracious
• discontented
• devouring
• unsatisfied
• egotistic
• egoistic
• swinish
• grudging
• itchy
• lickerish
• resentful
• commercialistic
• self-centered
• discontent
• malcontent
• begrudging
• gobbling
• self-seeking
• philistine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• generous
• liberal
• altruistic
• charitable
• handsome
• unselfish
• magnanimous
• munificent
• selfless
• bountiful
• controlled
• bounteous
• unsparing
• restrained
• moderate
• nonmaterialistic
• temperate
• openhanded
• content
• openhearted
• satisfied
• sated
• freehanded
• greathearted

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective avaricious differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of avaricious are acquisitive, covetous, grasping, and greedy. While all these words mean "having or showing a strong desire for especially material possessions," avaricious implies obsessive acquisitiveness especially of money and strongly suggests stinginess.

an avaricious miser

When is it sensible to use acquisitive instead of avaricious?

Although the words acquisitive and avaricious have much in common, acquisitive implies both eagerness to possess and ability to acquire and keep.

an eagerly acquisitive mind

In what contexts can covetous take the place of avaricious?

The words covetous and avaricious can be used in similar contexts, but covetous implies inordinate desire often for another's possessions.

covetous of his brother's country estate

How does the word grasping relate to other synonyms for avaricious?

Grasping adds to covetous and greedy an implication of selfishness and often suggests unfair or ruthless means.

a hard grasping businesswoman who cheated her associates

When might greedy be a better fit than avaricious?

The meanings of greedy and avaricious largely overlap; however, greedy stresses lack of restraint and often of discrimination in desire.

greedy for status symbols

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of avaricious

Harlan has an avaricious family, each member of which has something to gain from his death. —Anna Russell, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025

What Netanyahu wants is not this peace deal or avaricious annexations, but to stay in power. —Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025

But is better than the alternative of admitting to an avaricious Moscow that Ukraine must accept some kind of defeat. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025

Passed in 1967 in response to an avaricious motel owner, the beach bill, as it is referred to colloquially, established that all shoreline up to 16 feet above the low-tide mark would be accessible to the public, regardless of who owns the adjacent property. —Alice Gregory, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2025