Avariciousness

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Avaricious \Av`a*ri"cious\ ([a^]v`[.a]*r[i^]sh"[u^]s), a. [Cf.
     F. avaricieux.]
     Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of
     accumulating property.
     [1913 Webster]
  


     Syn: Greedy; stingy; rapacious; griping; sordid; close.
  
     Usage: {Avaricious}, {Covetous}, {Parsimonious}, {Penurious},
            {Miserly}, {Niggardly}. The avaricious eagerly desire
            wealth with a view to hoard it. The covetous grasp
            after it at the expense of others, though not of
            necessity with a design to save, since a man may be
            covetous and yet a spendthrift. The penurious,
            parsimonious, and miserly save money by disgraceful
            self-denial, and the niggardly by meanness in their
            dealing with others. We speak of persons as covetous
            in getting, avaricious in retaining, parsimonious in
            expending, penurious or miserly in modes of living,
            niggardly in dispensing.
            [1913 Webster] -- {Av`a*ri"cious*ly}, adv. --
            {Av`a*ri"cious*ness}, n.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  avariciousness
       n : extreme greed for material wealth [syn: {avarice}, {covetousness},
            {cupidity}]