• Today's Word

Avarice

🔊 Listen to the word Avarice

AV-uh-ris

Definition

(noun) Extreme greed for wealth or material gain.

Example

His avarice drove him to exploit every opportunity, no matter who was hurt in the process.

Word Origin

From Latin avaritia, meaning “greed” or “covetousness.”

Fun Fact

Avarice has been condemned for centuries as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but it often hides behind ambition or thrift. In literature, it’s a recurring theme—from Charles Dickens’s Ebenezer Scrooge to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby—characters who chase wealth so relentlessly that it consumes their humanity. Psychologists note that avarice isn’t just about money; it’s about control and fear of loss, a hunger that grows stronger the more it’s fed.