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
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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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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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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
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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
-
They weren’t built by the government, but rather by those evil greedy private corporations and individuals who are guilty of the heinous crime of providing millions of Americans with places to live.—
The Editors,
National Review,
30 June 2025
-
The backdrop of the Marcos dictatorship shaped her artistic approach, defined by an interest in quotidian experience—including everyday injustices such as gender inequality and the ecological exploitation of the Philippines by greedy conglomerates.—
Hung Duong,
Artforum,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
Irrational Behavior In Supply Chains From my observations, irrational behavior is common in supply chains, driven by factors such as fear, greed and misaligned incentives.—
Shekar Natarajan,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
Avatar is very much a look at environmentalism, and ravaging natural resources for greed and corruption.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Again, this man has been holding onto so much, and things have just been compacted for him.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
22 Mar. 2025
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Any incumbent party would have had trouble holding onto the White House.—
Alex Thompson,
Axios,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Comprised mostly of phishing, but also malware, threats, the domains in question have been created by cybercriminals seeking to benefit from the high media profile of Prime Day and the anticipated flood of consumers eager to grab a bargain.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Albeit simple, the guesthouse offers a hearty breakfast within a whimsical breakfast room featuring ample gluten-free options and warm staff eager to offer up tips and local recommendations to make the most of your stay.—
Monica Mendal,
Vogue,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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The new film — directed by Gareth Edwards — stars Scarlett Johansson as mercenary Zora Bennett and Jonathan Bailey as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis as Bennett leads a dangerous expedition to secure the genetic material of the world's three largest dinosaurs.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
5 July 2025
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Detractors might argue that lo-fi beats was always mercenary music engineered and optimized to hook sad bois with no taste, and good riddance.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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This is, in part, correct: Voldemort is extremely covetous of power.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
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Image Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings The sudden appearance of seven mysterious doors across the world draws attention from religious sects, covetous billionaires and everyday people who speculate over what lies on the other side.—
Laura Thompson,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The competitive battle for smaller players continued into the early 1960s until antitrust laws curtailed the acquisitive sprees.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
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Over its history OpenText has been an highly acquisitive company to build out its software stack.—
GuruFocus,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 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 16 Jul. 2025.
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