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.

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