Basic Details
Word: Avarice
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Extreme greed for money or wealth.
Synonyms: greed, covetousness, greediness
Antonyms: generosity, unselfishness
How to Spell Avarice
Syllables: av - a - rice
Tricky part: The vowels go a, a, i, e, and it ends in ice with a c. Averice and avarise are the usual errors.
Watch out for: averice, avarise, avarrice
Memory tip: Avarice ends in rice: ava + rice. A greedy person wants every grain of rice for himself.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The villain's avarice made him cheat his own brother.
Example 2: Many Panchatantra stories warn against avarice.
Example 3: Avarice drove the trader to double his prices during the flood.
Fun Fact
In the Greek myth, King Midas asked that everything he touched turn to gold. His wish came true, and he could not even eat, because his food turned to gold too.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to avarice as used in the sentence:
The miser's avarice kept him counting coins while his house crumbled around him.
a) covetousness
b) selfishness
c) greed
d) generosity
Show answer
d) generosity. Avarice hoards money, while generosity gives it away freely.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. arogance 2. jelousy 3. cowardise 4. avarice
a) envy of what others have
b) lack of courage
c) extreme greed for wealth
d) an attitude of thinking yourself better than others
Show answer
c) extreme greed for wealth. Avarice is untouched; jealousy, arrogance and cowardice are the correct forms of the rest.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The king's ievraac grew until he taxed even the poorest farmers.
a) vicar
b) arrive
c) caviar
d) avarice
Show answer
d) avarice. Caviar has no e and arrive has two r's; all seven letters together make avarice.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which adjective is formed from avarice?
a) avaricy
b) avarious
c) avaricious
d) avaritious
Show answer
c) avaricious
2. Which proverb warns against avarice?
a) Better late than never.
b) Grasp all, lose all.
c) Look before you leap.
d) Practice makes perfect.
Show answer
b) Grasp all, lose all.
