First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
avarice
noun av·a·rice \ˈa-və-rəs, ˈav-rəs\
: a strong desire to have or get money
Full Definition of AVARICE
: excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain : greediness, cupidity
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Examples of AVARICE
- Adherence to the Baldwin model is usually more a sin of thoughtlessness and convenience than of conscious avarice, though it is always an appropriation of moral power, a stealing of thunder. —Shelby Steele, Harper's, November 2002
- … a company of artists, among them the young Thomas Nast, seated at rows of desks in a high-ceilinged studio overlooking the avarice and deviltry walking in and out of New York's City Hall. —Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, June 2000
- Unlike the rest of us, stuck in our jobs, choking on carbon monoxide, heeling around on overpriced shoes, recovering from a decade of avarice, Chip works and he's tanned and happy. —Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11-25 July 1991
- Nor was private avarice their besetting sin although they were as subject as most men to the stings of ambition. —Barbara W. Tuchman, The March of Folly, 1984
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Origin of AVARICE
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin avaritia, from avarus avaricious, from avēre to crave — more at avid
Related to AVARICE
AVARICE Defined for Kids
avarice
noun av·a·rice \ˈa-və-rəs, ˈav-rəs\
Definition of AVARICE for Kids
: strong desire for riches : greed
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