Meaning & use

covetous

adjective·Advanced

Having a strong, often excessive desire for something that belongs to someone else.

See it in a sentence

He cast a covetous eye on his neighbor's new sports car.

Her covetous glance at the necklace made the shop owner uneasy.

A note on using this word

Covetous is a formal, somewhat literary word; envious is the more common everyday alternative.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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