greedy

adjective

USGREE-dee/ˈɡɹidi/

Formsgreedier, greediest

5 meanings of greedy

1
adjective
Wanting much more money or things than you need, and not willing to share.
Like a child who grabs all the candy and will not share any of it.
The greedy man kept all the prize money for himself.
Don't be greedy. Leave some cookies for your sister.
Similaravaricious, grasping, acquisitive, rapacious, covetous
Oppositegenerous, unselfish
Note
2
adjective
Always wanting to eat more food than you need.
The greedy puppy finished his bowl and then tried to take his brother's food.
Don't be greedy at the party. Everyone wants a piece of cake.
Similargluttonous, voracious, ravenous, piggish
3
adjective
Solving a problem by always picking the choice that looks best right now, without looking ahead.
Like always grabbing the biggest piece of cake first, without thinking about what is left for later.
The greedy program always takes the biggest coin first when it makes change.
A greedy plan is fast, but sometimes it misses the best answer.
Oppositenongreedy
Note
4
adjective
Trying to match as much text as possible instead of stopping at the smallest match.
The greedy search grabbed the whole sentence instead of just the first word.
The star in a search pattern is greedy, so it takes as much text as it can.
Oppositereluctant, lazy, nongreedy
Note

Less common meaning

5
adjectivearchaic
Chased after or wanted with very strong, selfish desire.
The knight rode for many years to win the greedy prize that all men wanted.
They crossed the sea in search of that greedy gold.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Old English grēdiġ, meaning "hungry" or "eager". It comes from an old Germanic word for "hunger".