greediness

IPA/ˈɡriː.di.nəs/
IPA/ˈɡriː.di.nəs/

greediness — noun

1. the tendency to want or take far more of something — especially food, money, or

1.nounB2
Definition

the tendency to want or take far more of something — especially food, money, or possessions — than you actually need, often without thinking about the needs of other people

Example

Ignacio's greediness at the hotel buffet made his co-workers stare in surprise.

greediness at + [place/event] — location collocation

The company's greediness for profit led it to ignore safety rules.

greediness for + [abstract goal]

Common collocations
  • sheer greediness
  • pure greediness
  • greediness for power
  • greediness for money
  • greediness for food
  • greediness with food
  • greediness with resources
Synonyms
  • greed

    more general and far more common; the preferred word for abstract or institutional contexts

  • avarice

    formal; specifically for an extreme desire for money or wealth

  • gluttony

    only for excessive eating or drinking, not money or possessions

Antonyms
  • generosity

    the quality of being willing to give or share freely

  • moderation

    the quality of not having too much of something

Usage Note

Greediness and greed overlap in meaning, but greed is far more common in everyday speech and writing. Greediness often sounds more personal or behavioural, focusing on a specific instance or habit rather than an abstract quality. Use greed for general topics (corporate greed, human greed) and greediness when describing a particular person's repeated behaviour.

Common Mistakes

His greediness made him not share the cake.
His greediness meant he refused to share the cake.
'made him not share' is unnatural; use a different verb structure instead of a negated infinitive.
I am angry about his greediness for foods.
I am angry about his greediness for food.
after greediness for, the object is usually uncountable or a general category, not plural countable.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Greed is the everyday word for wanting far more than one needs and is used in both personal and institutional contexts (corporate greed, human greed). Greediness overlaps with greed but feels more behavioural and specific to a person's repeated habits. Avarice is highly formal and almost exclusively about money or wealth — you would read it in a novel or a speech, not in conversation. Gluttony is restricted to food and drink, often with a moral or religious overtone. Covetousness carries the extra meaning of wanting something that belongs to another person specifically. For example: 'The minister warned against corporate greed' (general), but 'His greediness at dinner embarrassed his date' (behavioural); 'She was driven by avarice, not need' (formal, money); 'Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins' (food, religious).

greed ↗avarice ↗gluttony ↗covetousness ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • greediness + profit
  • greediness + power
  • greediness + attention
  • greediness + food

Phrases

  • out of pure greediness
  • driven by greediness

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Greediness comes from the Old English word grǣdig (meaning 'hungry' or 'eager'), combined with the suffix -ness, which turns adjectives into abstract nouns. In early English, grǣdig simply meant very hungry; over time it developed the moral sense of wanting more than one's fair share. The modern spelling greediness appeared by the 1500s, alongside the shorter form greed.