1
as in greedy
having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions
one aggressive bargain hunter rushed to make a covetous grab for the last marked-down TV
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jealous
having or showing mean resentment of another's possessions or advantages
a covetous child who must destroy what he cannot have
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of covetous
All regard Cuba with the covetous memories of former lovers—longing mingled with knowledge of the island’s practical side, its transactionalism.
—
Jon Lee Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021
Photo : Mercedes-Benz AG This is a vehicle that is at once a capacious hauler of humans, a covetous lifestyle accessory, and a wildly competent militaristic transport.
—Brett Berk, Robb Report, 13 May 2024
As Céline launches a charm offensive — a kind of maternal seduction, even — on the boy, Alice grows ever more anxiously protective: Is her bereft neighbor merely seeking an outlet for her grief, or enacting some kind of covetous revenge?
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
In a typical dispatch for The Church Times, about St. Matthew, Mr. Blythe wrote: Not for us covetous desires and inordinate love of riches.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for covetous
Jon Lee Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021
Photo : Mercedes-Benz AG This is a vehicle that is at once a capacious hauler of humans, a covetous lifestyle accessory, and a wildly competent militaristic transport.
—Brett Berk, Robb Report, 13 May 2024
As Céline launches a charm offensive — a kind of maternal seduction, even — on the boy, Alice grows ever more anxiously protective: Is her bereft neighbor merely seeking an outlet for her grief, or enacting some kind of covetous revenge?
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
In a typical dispatch for The Church Times, about St. Matthew, Mr. Blythe wrote: Not for us covetous desires and inordinate love of riches.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for covetous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covetous
Adjective
-
When Sue becomes greedy with her time, exceeding seven days on the outside, Elisabeth suffers the consequences, and things take a dark and twisted turn.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Forget the greedy streamers: leave the job of filmmaking to people who care, to people like Corbet and Eisenberg, Fargeat and Zilbalodis.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The exact nature of the argument was unclear, but people familiar with the couple’s relationship told investigators that Pablo-Carrillo was jealous that Calmo-Lorenzo maintained contact with her daughter’s father.—
Nate Gartrell,
The Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Mount Hood isn't fazed, claiming everyone is just jealous.—
Christine Clarridge,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security.—
Rob Gillies,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Businesses weren’t hiring as much, folks weren’t as eager to quit and those without jobs were staying on the sidelines for longer.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Neither Evil Steve Jobs nor his mercenary lackey are given much of a motor and oppressive presence.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Since invading Ukraine, Putin has regularly invoked old arguments about Russia’s imperial role in the world, yet his references amount to a mercenary patchwork.—
James Verini,
The New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This nation state, my home, is built on a quagmire of lies sold to the young as truths; sold to the insecure as truths; sold by the avaricious, the power-hungry, the conceited, the overwhelmingly white and male.—
Christine Winter,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Pearce plays Van Buren as hungry and avaricious even in his kinder moments, a man of immense wealth whose primary desire is to own more and more.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Wiseman’s documentaries won’t ever earn blockbuster money or inspire franchises, the mark of success in the film world, and there’s no merch to purchase or brand sponsorship tickling the acquisitive part of your brain.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Federation rivals ITV Studios and Fremantle are both rumored to be on the block, while Banijay remains acquisitive and newer players like North Road are part of this evolving conversation.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Covetous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covetous. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share