covetous meaning and examples

2025-09-04

Meaning

  • Covetous (adjective) describes someone who has an eager or excessive desire for wealth, possessions, or something that belongs to another person.
  • It often carries a negative nuance of greed or envy.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Adjective
  • Used before nouns or after linking verbs like be, seem, become.
  • Similar to greedy, but often with an emphasis on envy and wanting what others have.

Structures:

  • a covetous look/glance
  • He is covetous of his neighbor’s success.

Common Phrases

  • Covetous eyes
  • Covetous nature
  • Covetous desire
  • Covetous glance

Collocations

  • Covetous + glance/look
  • Covetous + desire/ambition
  • Be covetous of + something (success, wealth, power)

Examples

  1. She cast a covetous glance at her friend’s diamond ring.
  2. His covetous nature made him unpopular among his colleagues.
  3. They looked with covetous eyes at the luxurious car.
  4. He was covetous of the power his rival had gained.
  5. The child gave a covetous look at the sweets on the table.
  6. Her covetous ambitions drove her to betray her friends.
  7. The painting attracted many covetous collectors.
  8. He grew covetous of his brother’s inheritance.
  • greedy, envious, jealous, desirous, avaricious