Greed
/ɡriːd/
nounB2
Definition
Greed means wanting a lot more than you really need, especially money or possessions. It is a strong feeling that makes people want to get more for themselves, often without caring about others. Greed can cause people to act selfishly or unfairly.
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See It in Action
A selfish desire for more money or possessions than one needs
- •His greed made him take more money than he deserved.
- •Greed can cause people to cheat or lie to get rich.
- •The company’s greed led to unfair treatment of workers.
A strong, selfish wish for power or control
- •The leader’s greed for power hurt the whole country.
- •Greed can make people forget about fairness and kindness.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "greed" like "want" (A1 word), but much stronger and selfish—wanting too much only for yourself
- ✓Picture someone holding many toys and not sharing any with friends, even though others want some
- ✓It's the feeling when you want all the cookies and don’t want to give any to others
- ✓Sounds like "greed" → imagine a greedy frog grabbing everything it sees, never letting go
- ✓Think of stories about dragons guarding big treasure hoards, never sharing with anyone
- ✓NOT like "need" (something necessary), greed is wanting more than what is needed
- ✓NOT like "share" (giving to others), greed is taking or keeping for yourself only
- ✓NOT like "generous" (giving freely), greed is the opposite—keeping and wanting more
- ✓NOT like "desire" (a wish), greed is a strong and selfish desire that ignores others
Try Other Words
- •Avarice: extreme greed for wealth (Use in formal or literary contexts)
- •Selfishness: caring only about oneself (Use when focusing on ignoring others)
- •Desire: a wish or longing for something (Use when the feeling is not necessarily selfish or strong)
- •Covetousness: wanting something that belongs to someone else (Use when greed is about others' things)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: root "greed" with no prefix or suffix
- •Etymology: from Old English "grædig," meaning eager or greedy
- •Historical development: Originally described eagerness or desire, later took a negative meaning of selfish desire for more
- •Modern usage: Used to describe selfish wanting of money, power, or things beyond need, often seen as a bad quality
Reflect & Connect
•Can wanting more ever be good, or is greed always bad? How do you tell the difference?
•How does greed affect relationships between people or groups? Can it cause problems?
Fill in the blanks
1.People act with greed when they want ___ more than they really need or deserve.
2.Greed often causes people to ignore ___ and only think about themselves.
3.Unlike simple desire, greed is a ___ and selfish wish for something.
4.When someone shows greed, they usually do not ___ or share with others.
5.The story warned that greed can lead to ___ and unhappiness.
6.Greed is different from need because need is about ___, but greed is about wanting extra.
7.In business, greed can cause unfair ___ to workers or customers.