Synonyms of avarice

avarice

noun

ˈa-və-rəs 

as in greed

an intense selfish desire for wealth or possessions

the bank official's embezzlement was motivated by pure avarice

Synonyms & Similar Words

• greed
• greediness
• rapacity
• cupidity
• acquisitiveness
• covetousness
• avariciousness
• rapaciousness
• desire
• thirst
• hunger
• appetite
• avidity
• materialism
• possessiveness
• lust
• avidness
• mercenariness
• graspingness
• commercialism
• longing
• gluttony
• craving
• passion
• selfishness
• egoism
• self-interest
• egotism
• voracity
• yearning
• drive
• yen
• pining
• itch
• hankering
• ravenousness
• piggishness
• self-centeredness
• gluttonousness
• self-regard

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• satisfaction
• gratification
• fulfillment
• contentment
• generosity
• liberality
• magnanimity
• charity
• unselfishness
• bounty
• largesse
• altruism
• selflessness
• bountifulness
• generousness
• openhandedness
• openheartedness
• bounteousness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of avarice

In the mid-19th century, a family of Dutch-Afrikaans homesteaders sets out to cross the inhospitable terrain of the Kalahari Desert along with their backer, a boorish Brit whose avarice and bigotry loom large over the journey. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 July 2026

The theory here is that avarice and ambition can best be defeated by means of somebody else’s avarice and ambition; power’s inevitable corrupting effect is thereby mitigated or delayed. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026

And the forces that contributed to their demise — avarice, ignorance and a lack of imagination — are ascendant, illustrated by plans for a five-story Rolex shop on Las Olas and the Gekko district being built in downtown West Palm Beach. — Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2026

These morality tales, focusing on figures like Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky, make an implicit claim that individual avarice somehow explains the excesses of an entire era. — Literary Hub, 15 May 2026