greed

/gri:d/

Thân thiện

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Reprehensible acquisitiveness; an insatiable and selfish desire for more wealth or possessions than one needs or deserves. This meaning often carries a strong moral judgment, implying the desire is excessive and wrong.
   • An intense and selfish desire for something, typically beyond what one needs. While often associated with material wealth, it can extend to other areas like power or food.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • His greed for money led him to make unethical business decisions. (Here, "greed" is the subject, describing an excessive desire for money that caused negative actions.)
  • The story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed. (In this example, "greed" is the object of the preposition "about," presented as a general, dangerous force.)
  • She looked at the last piece of cake with pure greed. (This uses "greed" to describe an intense, selfish desire for food.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Personification: Greed is often personified, especially in religious or moral contexts, as a destructive force or sin.
  • In many traditions, Greed is one of the seven deadly sins.
• Qualifiers: Often used with adjectives that emphasize its nature, such as "blind greed," "sheer greed," or "unchecked greed."
  • The corporation's unchecked greed devastated the local environment.

Variants and Related Words

• Greedy (adjective): Having or showing greed.
  • The greedy child took all the cookies.
• Greedily (adverb): In a greedy manner.
  • He ate the meal greedily.

Synonyms

• Avarice: A more formal term for extreme greed for wealth or material gain.
• Rapacity: Excessive greed; aggressive acquisitiveness.
• Cupidity: Greed for money or possessions.
• Acquisitiveness: A strong desire to acquire things, which can be neutral but often implies greed.

Antonyms

• Generosity: The quality of being kind and generous.
• Contentment: A state of happiness and satisfaction.
• Altruism: Selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• "Greed is good": A controversial phrase from popular culture, often used ironically or critically to comment on excessive materialism.
• "Fueled by greed": Describes actions or systems driven primarily by excessive desire for gain.
  • The scandal was fueled by corporate greed.

Học thuật

Noun

1. reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins)
2. excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves

Từ đồng nghĩa

• avarice
• covetousness
• rapacity
• avaritia