acquisitive

adjective

ac·quis·i·tive ə-ˈkwi-zə-tiv How to pronounce acquisitive (audio)

: strongly desirous of acquiring and possessing

acquisitively adverb

acquisitiveness noun

Did you know?

While acquisitive is a useful synonym of the likes of greedy and avaricious, it's relatively unknown compared to its more popular lexical relations, acquire and acquisition. The former of that pair is most often used to mean "to get as one's own," as in "skills acquired through practice"; the latter refers either to the act of acquiring something, as in "the acquisition of skills," or to something or someone acquired or gained, as in "the museum's recent acquisitions." All three have as their ultimate source the Latin word acquīrere, meaning "to acquire." While acquire and acquisition have both been in use since the 15th century, acquisitive is a bit younger. The word has a somewhat rare use meaning "capable of acquiring" that dates to the late 16th century, but its "greedy" meaning dates only to the early 19th century.

Example Sentences

acquisitive developers are trying to tear down the historic home and build a shopping mall

Recent Examples on the Web Another big winner was Vista Outdoor Inc., which also was acquisitive in the period.

Eric Smith, Outside Online, 7 July 2021 Also worth a deeper look are two acquisitive casino names: Gaming & Leisure Properties (GLPI) and VICI Properties (VICI).

Brett Owens, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022 Adding to the complexity of the supply chain is that Ferguson is an acquisitive company.

Steve Banker, Forbes, 1 July 2022 The hyper-acquisitive chip company first set its sights on the software market in 2018 with its surprise $18.9 billion acquisition of CA Technologies.

Dan Gallagher, WSJ, 23 May 2022 Alex Doll, founder and managing general partner at Ten Eleven, said that a reduction in the number of IPOs is likely to force more rational valuations, which could then encourage more acquisitive behavior by cyber firms.

James Rundle, WSJ, 22 June 2022 In rapidly growing states like Florida and Texas where demographic flows have propelled home and auto lending volumes, credit unions are often more acquisitive than banks.

John Dobosz, Forbes, 21 June 2022 And some vinyl heads treat music mainly as an acquisitive hobby, like sneaker collecting.

Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 9 June 2022 Jamie Salter, the acquisitive founder of Authentic Brands Group Inc., is considering joining a bid for Chelsea Football Club, people with knowledge of the matter said.

David Hellier, Bloomberg.com, 29 Mar. 2022 See More

acquisitive

adjective

as in greedy

having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions acquisitive developers are trying to tear down the historic home and build a shopping mall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

greedy
avaricious
covetous
mercenary
eager
desirous
coveting
grasping
rapacious
avid
materialistic
moneygrubbing
grabby
insatiable
discontented
gluttonous
piggish
hoggish
egocentric
ravenous
miserly
voracious
discontent
gobbling
devouring
unsatisfied
swinish
egotistic
egotistical
unquenchable
lickerish
egoistic
egoistical
piggy
philistine
commercialistic
resentful
itchy
self-centered
grudging
malcontent
begrudging
self-seeking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

altruistic
generous
charitable
liberal
magnanimous
unselfish
selfless
munificent
handsome
controlled
restrained
bounteous
bountiful
openhanded
unsparing
moderate
temperate
satisfied
openhearted
nonmaterialistic
content
sated
freehanded
greathearted

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of acquisitive are avaricious, covetous, grasping, and greedy. While all these words mean "having or showing a strong desire for especially material possessions," acquisitive implies both eagerness to possess and ability to acquire and keep.

an eagerly acquisitive mind

While in some cases nearly identical to acquisitive, avaricious implies obsessive acquisitiveness especially of money and strongly suggests stinginess.

an avaricious miser

While the synonyms covetous and acquisitive are close in meaning, covetous implies inordinate desire often for another's possessions.

covetous of his brother's country estate

Grasping adds to covetous and greedy an implication of selfishness and often suggests unfair or ruthless means.

a hard grasping businesswoman who cheated her associates

The synonyms greedy and acquisitive are sometimes interchangeable, but greedy stresses lack of restraint and often of discrimination in desire.

greedy for status symbols

单词	acquisitive
释义	acquisitive adjective ac·quis·i·tive ə-ˈkwi-zə-tiv : strongly desirous of acquiring and possessing acquisitively adverb acquisitiveness noun Did you know? While acquisitive is a useful synonym of the likes of greedy and avaricious, it's relatively unknown compared to its more popular lexical relations, acquire and acquisition. The former of that pair is most often used to mean "to get as one's own," as in "skills acquired through practice"; the latter refers either to the act of acquiring something, as in "the acquisition of skills," or to something or someone acquired or gained, as in "the museum's recent acquisitions." All three have as their ultimate source the Latin word acquīrere, meaning "to acquire." While acquire and acquisition have both been in use since the 15th century, acquisitive is a bit younger. The word has a somewhat rare use meaning "capable of acquiring" that dates to the late 16th century, but its "greedy" meaning dates only to the early 19th century. Synonyms avaricious avid coveting covetous grabby grasping greedy mercenary moneygrubbing rapacious See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences acquisitive developers are trying to tear down the historic home and build a shopping mall Recent Examples on the Web Another big winner was Vista Outdoor Inc., which also was acquisitive in the period. Eric Smith, Outside Online, 7 July 2021 Also worth a deeper look are two acquisitive casino names: Gaming & Leisure Properties (GLPI) and VICI Properties (VICI). Brett Owens, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022 Adding to the complexity of the supply chain is that Ferguson is an acquisitive company. Steve Banker, Forbes, 1 July 2022 The hyper-acquisitive chip company first set its sights on the software market in 2018 with its surprise $18.9 billion acquisition of CA Technologies. Dan Gallagher, WSJ, 23 May 2022 Alex Doll, founder and managing general partner at Ten Eleven, said that a reduction in the number of IPOs is likely to force more rational valuations, which could then encourage more acquisitive behavior by cyber firms. James Rundle, WSJ, 22 June 2022 In rapidly growing states like Florida and Texas where demographic flows have propelled home and auto lending volumes, credit unions are often more acquisitive than banks. John Dobosz, Forbes, 21 June 2022 And some vinyl heads treat music mainly as an acquisitive hobby, like sneaker collecting. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 9 June 2022 Jamie Salter, the acquisitive founder of Authentic Brands Group Inc., is considering joining a bid for Chelsea Football Club, people with knowledge of the matter said. David Hellier, Bloomberg.com, 29 Mar. 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from French & Late Latin; French acquisitif, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Late Latin acquīsītīvus "acquired, involving gain or possession," from Latin acquīsītus (past participle of acquīrere "to acquire") + -īvus -ive First Known Use 1835, in the meaning defined above acquisitive adjective as in greedy having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions acquisitive developers are trying to tear down the historic home and build a shopping mall Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance greedy avaricious covetous mercenary eager desirous coveting grasping rapacious avid materialistic moneygrubbing grabby insatiable discontented gluttonous piggish hoggish egocentric ravenous miserly voracious discontent gobbling devouring unsatisfied swinish egotistic egotistical unquenchable lickerish egoistic egoistical piggy philistine commercialistic resentful itchy self-centered grudging malcontent begrudging self-seeking Antonyms & Near Antonyms altruistic generous charitable liberal magnanimous unselfish selfless munificent handsome controlled restrained bounteous bountiful openhanded unsparing moderate temperate satisfied openhearted nonmaterialistic content sated freehanded greathearted See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of acquisitive are avaricious, covetous, grasping, and greedy. While all these words mean "having or showing a strong desire for especially material possessions," acquisitive implies both eagerness to possess and ability to acquire and keep. an eagerly acquisitive mind While in some cases nearly identical to acquisitive, avaricious implies obsessive acquisitiveness especially of money and strongly suggests stinginess. an avaricious miser While the synonyms covetous and acquisitive are close in meaning, covetous implies inordinate desire often for another's possessions. covetous of his brother's country estate Grasping adds to covetous and greedy an implication of selfishness and often suggests unfair or ruthless means. a hard grasping businesswoman who cheated her associates The synonyms greedy and acquisitive are sometimes interchangeable, but greedy stresses lack of restraint and often of discrimination in desire. greedy for status symbols
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acquisitive

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

adjective

Synonym Chooser