Avarice
/ˈævərɪs/
Definitions
Extreme greed for wealth or material gain.
/ˈævərɪs/
His avarice led him to exploit his employees for profit.
💡 Simply: Avarice is like when someone really, really wants money or things and is never happy with what they have. Think of a character in a story who's always scheming to get richer, even if it means hurting others.
👶 For kids: Wanting more and more money or things and not sharing.
More Examples
The old miser's avarice was legendary throughout the town.
Driven by avarice, the king taxed his people heavily.
How It's Used
"The novel explores the destructive power of avarice within a family."
"Avarice is often considered one of the seven deadly sins."
From Old French *avarice*, derived from Latin *avaritia*, from *avarus* ('greedy'). It entered English in the late 14th century.
Avarice was frequently used in medieval literature and moral treatises to describe the sin of greed.
Memory tip
Imagine a treasure chest overflowing with gold, but the person guarding it is never satisfied and always wants more.