greed

1 of 2

noun

ˈgrēd 

: a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed

motivated by naked ambition and greed

greed for money and power

greed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of gree entry 2

Synonyms of greed

Noun

• avarice
• greediness
• rapacity
• acquisitiveness
• cupidity
• desire
• covetousness
• rapaciousness
• avariciousness
• hunger
• thirst
• appetite

Examples of greed in a Sentence

Noun

He was a ruthless businessman, motivated by naked ambition and greed.

don't let greed for riches control you

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

More than three-quarters of the world's cobalt supply lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose abundant resources have drawn greed and grifters for centuries. — Ramtin Arablouei, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026

Political radicals have found purchase in Democratic primaries in part because of disgust with our present system of capitalist greed, self-dealing and multi-card monte with all cards in the president du jour’s hands. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026

In that thread, the original poster said that the real problem was that tiny details and even major historical insights that can be gleaned from reviewing rare books will be lost to AI greed. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026

The generation that writes TikTok manifestos about billionaire greed and the widening wealth gap has somehow, simultaneously, made the aesthetics of extreme wealth concentration its dominant cultural fantasy. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

back-formation from greedy

First Known Use

Noun

1609, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for greed

• bead
• bleed
• brede
• breed
• cede
• creed
• deed
• feed
• freed
• heed
• keyed
• knead

Kids Definition

greed

noun

ˈgrēd 

: selfish desire for food, money, or possessions over and above one's needs