covetous

C3O1V4E1T1O1U1S1
/ˈkʌvətəs/

adjective

Distastefully desirous or keen, especially for something belonging to someone else; avaricious.

Similar
acquisitiveavariciouscormorantedaciousesurientgraspinggreedymiserable
OriginMiddle English coveitous ← Anglo-Norman *cuveitus ← Latin cupiditas →
UncommonScrabble 13
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Meanings

adjectivecovetous (comparative more covetous, superlative most covetous)

comparative more covetous · superlative most covetous

  1. Distastefully desirous or keen, especially for something belonging to someone else; avaricious.

    The couaitous deſyre of riche men is euer vnſaciable. It always raueneth and neuer is ſatisfied.

    1545 July 12 (Gregorian calendar), Thomas Elyot, A Preseruatiue agaynste Deth, London: […] Thomas Berthelet, […], →OCLC, signature [B.vi.], recto
    1 more example

    Intimate as she was with Lady Anne, she would not but see how little the Misses Granard had of the ordinary pleasures of their age—but it never entered into her head to add to them—had one of their sweet faces been seen in her box at the opera, it might have attracted that attention she was feverishly covetous of engrossing.

    1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “(please specify the page)”, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, pages 125–126

    Synonyms: acquisitive, avaricious, cormorant, edacious, esurient, grasping, greedy, miserable

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveDistastefully desirous or keen, especially for something belonging to someone else; avaricious.

Similar
acquisitiveavariciouscormorantedaciousesurientgraspinggreedymiserablepiggishmiserlyrapaciousselfishsordidsharp-setvoracious

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveshowing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another's advantages

Similar
enviousjealousdesirouswishful

adjectiveimmoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth

Similar
avariciousgrabbygraspinggreedyprehensileacquisitive
Also see
acquisitiveavariciousdesirousenviousgrabbygraspinggreedyjealouslucripetousmoney-hungryprehensilerapaciouswishful

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latincupiditas“desire”
  2. Anglo-Norman*cuveitus
  3. Middle Englishcoveitous
  4. Englishcovetous

From Middle English coveitous, from Anglo-Norman *cuveitus, from Medieval Latin as if *cupiditosus, from Latin cupiditas (“desire”); see covet.

More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic طَمَّاع, حَسُود
  • طَمَّاع (ṭammāʕ)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • حَسُود (ḥasūd)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • مُشْتَهٍ (muštahin)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • شَرِه (šarih)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Bulgarian алчен, лаком
  • алчен (alčen)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • лаком (lakom)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Chinese Mandarin 貪求的 /贪求的, 垂涎的
  • 貪求的 /贪求的 (tānqiú de)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • 垂涎的 (chuíxián de)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Czech lačný, žádostivý
  • lačnýdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • žádostivýdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • prahnoucídistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Finnish himoitseva, isoava
  • himoitsevadistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • isoavadistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
French avare
  • avaredistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
German begierig, gierig
  • begierigdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • gierigdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Greek φθονερός, ζηλόφθων
  • φθονερός (fthonerós)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • ζηλόφθων (zilófthon)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Hindi लालची, लोभी
  • लालची (lālcī)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • लोभी (lobhī)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Hungarian kapzsi, mohó
  • kapzsidistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • mohódistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Irish maoinchíocrach, amplach
  • maoinchíocrachdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • amplachdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • amplúildistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • antlásachdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • santachdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Latin trahax
  • trahaxdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Norwegian gjerrig
  • gjerrigdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Persian حریص
  • حریص (haris)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Polish chciwy, pożądliwy
  • chciwydistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • pożądliwydistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Russian а́лчный, жа́дный
  • а́лчный (álčnyj)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
  • жа́дный (žádnyj)distastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Scottish Gaelic sanntach
  • sanntachdistastefully desirous or keen — see also avaricious
Cite this entry
APA

covetous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/covetous

MLA

“covetous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/covetous. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “covetous,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/covetous.

Source: covetous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.