| Avaricious | a. [ Cf. F. avaricieux. ] Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property. [ 1913 Webster ] Syn. -- Greedy; stingy; rapacious; griping; sordid; close. -- Avaricious, Covetous, Parsimonious, Penurious, Miserly, Niggardly. The avaricious eagerly desire wealth with a view to hoard it. The covetous grasp after it at the expense of others, though not of necessity with a design to save, since a man may be covetous and yet a spendthrift. The penurious, parsimonious, and miserly save money by disgraceful self-denial, and the niggardly by meanness in their dealing with others. We speak of persons as covetous in getting, avaricious in retaining, parsimonious in expending, penurious or miserly in modes of living, niggardly in dispensing. [ 1913 Webster ] -- Av`a*ri"cious*ly, adv. -- Av`a*ri"cious*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ] |
