as in greed
an intense selfish desire for wealth or possessions
the queen's acquisitiveness would not be satisfied until she owned the largest diamond in the world
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Recent Examples of acquisitiveness
Following too closely in its protagonist’s footsteps, The Queen of Versailles presents only two options — tough but spiritually fulfilling material deprivation or unconstrained acquisitiveness.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquisitiveness
greed
Noun
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The dazzling works of Fra Angelico both testify to the immense wealth and power of fourteenth-century Florentine society and attempt to heal its pride, greed, and brutal inequality.—
Ingrid D. Rowland,
The New York Review of Books,
5 Feb. 2026
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The once-compassionate Democratic Party used to mobilize government for the downtrodden and check crony capitalism’s greed.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acquisitiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquisitiveness. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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