Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Eager to acquire and possess things: Describes a strong desire to obtain and own items, especially material goods or abstract concepts like knowledge.
   • Characterized by a strong desire for gain: Often implies a focus on accumulating wealth, possessions, or information.

Usage

• The word "acquisitive" is typically used to describe a person's nature, mindset, or behavior. It can also describe collective entities like societies or cultures.
• It often carries a slightly negative connotation, suggesting greed or an excessive focus on material accumulation.
• It is used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb).

Examples

• Describing a person:
  • He has an acquisitive nature, always looking for the next deal.
  • The collector was acquisitive, constantly seeking rare artifacts.
• Describing a mindset or society:
  • She has an acquisitive mind, absorbing information from every book she reads.
  • We live in an acquisitive society that values possessions over experiences.

Advanced Usage

• "acquisitive instinct": Refers to a natural or inherent drive to acquire things.
  • The company's growth was driven by the CEO's acquisitive instinct.
• "acquisitive urge": Describes a strong, often impulsive, desire to obtain something.
  • He felt an acquisitive urge when he saw the vintage car.

Variants and Related Words

• Acquire (verb): To gain possession of.
  • She managed to acquire the necessary skills.
• Acquisition (noun): The act of acquiring, or something acquired.
  • The museum's new acquisition is a priceless painting.
• Acquisitiveness (noun): The quality of being acquisitive.
  • His acquisitiveness was both his greatest strength and his fatal flaw.

Synonyms

• Covetous: Having or showing a great desire to possess something belonging to someone else.
• Avaricious: Having an extreme greed for material wealth.
• Grasping: Eager to get or keep things, especially money; greedy.
• Acquiring: (As an adjective) Focused on the act of gaining possession. (Note: This is less common as a direct synonym for the character trait).

Antonyms

• Austere: Severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance; having no comforts or luxuries.
• Ascetic: Characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
• Generous: Showing a readiness to give more of something, especially money, than is strictly necessary or expected.
• Detached: Aloof and objective; not influenced by emotions or personal interest, especially regarding material possessions.

Idioms and Phrases

• "Acquisitive society": A term often used in sociology and economics to describe a culture or social system where the primary drive is the accumulation of private property and wealth.
  • Critics argue that consumerism has created an acquisitive society.

Adjective

1. eager to acquire and possess things especially material possessions or ideas
   • an acquisitive mind
   • an acquisitive society in which the craving for material things seems never satisfied