avarice

[av-er-is] /ˈæv ər ɪs/
noun
1.
insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin avāritia, equivalent to avār(us) greedy + -itia -ice
Synonyms
cupidity.
Examples from the web for avarice
  • She turned away and bent over the tea chest again, cleanly stabbed by avarice, like a peach with a silver knife.
  • Usually, politics is about the avarice of one person or group in conflict .
  • But the market also threatened to unleash avarice, wreak havoc on traditions, and destroy any sense of the common good.
  • His characters are motivated by lust, avarice and vanity but elicit sympathy because of their vulnerability.
  • Ponzi had struck a perfect balance among the forces competing to control the new American identity: altruism and avarice.
  • If investors make money while they satisfy their avarice, so be it.
  • Envy goes beyond avarice.
  • They will be bought and sold at auction for years to come, and like it or not, avarice will be their handmaid.
  • avarice, altruism, and policy had aligned to fuel a spectacular boom.
  • Sadly, his observations seem benign in comparison with today's levels of avarice and exploitation.
British Dictionary definitions for avarice

avarice

/ˈævərɪs/
noun
1.
extreme greed for riches; cupidity
Derived Forms
avaricious, adjective
avariciously, adverb
avariciousness, noun
Word Origin
C13: from Old French, from Latin avaritia, from avārus covetous, from avēre to crave
Contemporary definitions for avarice
noun

excessive or insatiable desire or greed; cupidity

Word Origin

Latin avere 'to covet'

Word Origin and History for avarice
n.

c.1300, from Old French avarice "greed, covetousness" (12c.), from Latin avaritia "greed," from avarus "greedy," adjectival form of avere "crave, long for."