as in greedy
having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions
a grasping person who would rather buy a car he didn't need than give a dime to charity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in greed
an intense selfish desire for wealth or possessions
that period of the 19th century when the graspingness of the robber barons knew no bounds is often called the Gilded Age
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in understanding
to have a practical understanding of
he just doesn't grasp how important it is that he call when he'll be late
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clasping
to put one's arms around and press tightly
the departing soldier grasped his children a little closer than usual
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3
as in holding
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
the attendant grasped my arm and steered me towards the door
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in knowing
to have a clear idea of
the emergency operator finally grasped what he was trying to tell her
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grasping
Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025
Multiplied across numerous markets in every state, the LIHTC fuels more and more grasping for cash instead of reductions to make housing easier to create.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Unlike most other camp movies, this one isn’t about preserving and revering childhood, but the sloppy, grasping, wonderful transition to adulthood.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 May 2024
Adjective
The imperial Presidency: Designs on Greenland, promises to take back the Panama Canal, threats of tariffs on countries ranging from Colombia to Taiwan—how did a President who once pledged isolationism become so grasping?
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025
Multiplied across numerous markets in every state, the LIHTC fuels more and more grasping for cash instead of reductions to make housing easier to create.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Unlike most other camp movies, this one isn’t about preserving and revering childhood, but the sloppy, grasping, wonderful transition to adulthood.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grasping
Adjective
-
Horizen's greedy leadership, then, is thrilled by the arrival of a cutthroat AI (also played by Daniels, this time in a black wig) willing to maximize profits at any cost.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
Given the already substantial spend on incoming transfers, suggesting the club needs more, possibly sending its spending past the $500 million mark, seems absurd, almost greedy.—
James Nalton,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
And in a world where time is money, conditions are ripe for a perfect storm of greed, deceit, and willful gullibility—all in the hope of getting ahead faster than the rest.—
Luis E. Romero,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Poignant, wryly funny, and exquisitely written, Uhle masterfully depicts the confluence of ambition and greed, pioneerism and narcissism, love and pain.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This tiny spot has everything needed for relaxation—a pair of Adirondack chairs to lean back and reflect on the day and a tiny table for holding drinks and snacks.—
Libby Monteith Minor,
Southern Living,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Again, this man has been holding onto so much, and things have just been compacted for him.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Upstairs, clients eager to schmooze and make their case for a Rollie, can linger at a bar where the Udell family serves their signature and very popular watermelon margarita.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Even when the dining room overflows with eager diners (on a Sunday morning: guaranteed), Garcia and Rodriguez refuse to rush anyone out the door.—
Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Straddling the line between space cop, mercenary, and reluctant father, Pascal spends most of the first season fighting for money while also battling his feelings of attachment for this vulnerable, new dependent.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
31 July 2025
-
The setting comes as mercenary malware sold by NSO Group and a cottage industry of other exploit sellers continues to thrive.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
For most players, that amount of storage is realistically enough for all but the most covetous data hoarders.—
Matt Kamen,
Wired News,
3 Aug. 2025
-
This is, in part, correct: Voldemort is extremely covetous of power.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Millennials are aged 29 to 44 years old this year and are in a highly acquisitive life stage – getting married, starting families and buying first homes.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
In some ways Starbucks created a high-end coffee market for the increasingly acquisitive population, but as opposed to capturing it all, the thousands and thousands of Starbucks stores on the mainland created the opportunity for others to profitably enter the market.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Verb
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As a result, men are the default for everything from calculating drug doses to recognizing heart attack symptoms to designing and testing car safety features.—
Eva Epker,
Forbes,
28 Dec. 2024
-
There is an obvious tension between celebrating the city’s birthday and recognizing the painful and violent genocide that paved way for the city’s formation.—
Joe Baker,
New York Daily News,
28 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Grasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grasping. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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