French word

avidité

Pronunciation

IPA/avidite/

Meaning

  • feminine noungreed

Example

Son avidité l'a poussé à mentir.

His greed drove him to lie.

Illustration for avidité (greed)

More examples

Il a perdu le poste à cause de son avidité.

He lost the position because of his greed.

Core concept

A hand keeps reaching for more possessions, money, or power until its grasp harms people nearby.

Common phrases

  • à cause de son avidité

    because of his greed

  • poussé par son avidité

    driven by his greed

  • combler son avidité

    satisfy his greed

Similar words

envie: A longing for what someone else has or enjoys.
désir: A strong wish to obtain something.
cupidité: An excessive desire for profit or wealth.
avarice: A tendency to hoard money and possessions.

Definition in French

Disposition à désirer et à accumuler sans limite des biens, de l'argent ou du pouvoir, au point de nuire aux autres.

Word origin

French avidité comes from Latin aviditas, formed from avidus 'eager for' and ultimately linked to the verb aveo 'desire'.

Usage tips

  • The feminine noun avidité usually signals excessive greed, whereas English avid often means simply very eager or enthusiastic.

Other meanings

  • eagernessnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • avidegreedyadjective
  • avidementgreedilyadverb

Word lists with this word