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
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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
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Recent Examples of covetous
In a typical dispatch for The Church Times, about St. Matthew, Mr. Blythe wrote: Not for us covetous desires and inordinate love of riches.
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Clay Risen, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
Carol Foyler, who lives in Akron, Ohio, was openly covetous of the U.K.’s malignant narcissist.
—Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2022
New-car temptation will come in many forms—with electricity, old-fashioned gas grunt, or a combo of both—to your covetous heart and, manufacturers hope, your garage.
—Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 10 Oct. 2022
Once Lexington wins his first race, Harry’s ownership gives covetous White horsemen the necessary leverage to take the animal from him.
—Maggie Shipstead, Washington Post, 17 June 2022
See all Example Sentences for covetous 
Clay Risen, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
Carol Foyler, who lives in Akron, Ohio, was openly covetous of the U.K.’s malignant narcissist.
—Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2022
New-car temptation will come in many forms—with electricity, old-fashioned gas grunt, or a combo of both—to your covetous heart and, manufacturers hope, your garage.
—Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 10 Oct. 2022
Once Lexington wins his first race, Harry’s ownership gives covetous White horsemen the necessary leverage to take the animal from him.
—Maggie Shipstead, Washington Post, 17 June 2022
See all Example Sentences for covetous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covetous
Adjective
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Help the needy, not the greedy, as a wise man once argued.Henry Olsen, National Review, 21 Nov. 2024
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His skin, a greedy shade of brown, seems to eat up all the light.Essence, Essence, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Photograph: Amazon; Getty Images Growing up means being jealous of someone who owns a Dyson vacuum (#adulting).Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 29 Nov. 2024
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Some of Holt’s husbands were extremely wealthy, leading to lavish lifestyles between Los Angeles and New York; Holt at times was jealous of how much easier her daughters’ childhoods were in comparison.Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The recruitment success enjoyed by Tako and its peers speaks to a growing remote work fatigue, particularly in San Francisco, where housing conditions are often cramped and where a high concentration of young, ambitious techies are eager to comingle.Salvador Rodriguez, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2024
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Although Thanksgiving is a major holiday in her family, the star said that one of her kids was eager beforehand to skip ahead a month to celebrate Christmas.Hannah Sacks, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Moscow provided air, weapon and artillery support to the regime, as well as mercenary fighters. Iran, long an ally and sponsor of Assad and Syria as a key node in its Axis of Resistance, stepped up its military presence to protect its client and secure weapons flows and influence.Ian Pannell, ABC News, 3 Dec. 2024
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Her motive in accepting the offer is not solely mercenary.Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Stalin’s apprenticeship in high-stakes diplomacy had shown him to be cunning but also opportunistic, avaricious, obdurate.Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2017
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Few places in the U.S. are more fraught with unresolved tension than South Dakota’s Black Hills, land stolen from the Sioux after treaties had been signed in order for avaricious Americans to pursue gold.Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 7 July 2024
Adjective
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But the dealer’s acquisitive focus often operated as a Midas touch, turning those around him into golden objects.Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
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The aggregator continues to be acquisitive of other Shopify brands in categories such as health, apparel and consumer electronics, Rabois says.Richard Collings, Axios, 18 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near covetous
Cite this Entry
“Covetous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covetous. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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