— avariciously , adv. — avariciousness , n.
/av'euh rish"euhs/ , adj.
characterized by avarice; greedy; covetous.
[ 1425-75; late ME; see AVARICE, -IOUS ]
Syn . AVARICIOUS, COVETOUS, GREEDY, RAPACIOUS share the sense of desiring to possess more of something than one already has or might in normal circumstances be entitled to. AVARICIOUS often implies a pathological, driven greediness for money or other valuables and usually suggests a concomitant miserliness: the cheerless dwelling of an avaricious usurer. COVETOUS implies a powerful and usually illicit desire for the property or possessions of another: The book collector was openly covetous of my rare first edition.
GREEDY, the most general of these terms, suggests a naked and uncontrolled desire for almost anything - food and drink, money, emotional gratification: embarrassingly greedy for praise. RAPACIOUS, stronger and more assertive than the other terms, implies an aggressive, predatory, insatiable, and unprincipled desire for possessions and power: a rapacious frequenter of tax sales and forced auctions.