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Covetousness vs Ambitious - What's the difference?

covetousness | ambitious |

As a noun covetousness

is immoderate desire for the possession of something, especially for wealth.

As an adjective ambitious is

possessing, or controlled by ambition; greatly or inordinately desirous of power, honor, office, superiority, or distinction.

covetousness

English

Noun

(-)
  • Immoderate desire for the possession of something, especially for wealth.
  • * 1588: La Placette, Jean Of the Incurable Scepticism of the Church of Rome
    • He which will yield to Fear. mu?t nece??arily yield to Covetou?ne?s or any inordinate De?ire.
  • * 1661: Johnson, J. The morning-exercise at Cripple-gate
    • Covetou?ne?s is the yelow Jaundice of the foul, which ari?es from the over-flowing of the heart with love to yellow gold, by which a Chri?tian is dull'd and deadned.
  • * 1815: Lavington, Samuel Sermons and other discourses, Volume 1
    • Covetousness prevents all good, and is and inlet and encouragement to evil.
  • * 1976: Ellul, Jacques The Ethics of Freedom page 134
    • In obvious compensation and opposition the fear of nothingness becomes the source of covetousness ...

    Synonyms

    * See also

    ambitious

    English

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Possessing, or controlled by ambition; greatly or inordinately desirous of power, honor, office, superiority, or distinction.
  • * 1891 , , "The Man with the Twisted Lip,"
    • As I grew richer I grew more ambitious , took a house in the country, and eventually married, without anyone having a suspicion as to my real occupation.
  • Strongly desirous—followed by "of" or the infinitive; as, ambitious to be or to do something.
  • Springing from, characterized by, or indicating, ambition; showy; aspiring.
  • Hard to achieve.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838
    • , page=13 (Technology Quarterly), magazine=(The Economist) , title= Ideas coming down the track , passage=A “moving platform” scheme

    Usage notes

    * Said of people, projects, plans, goals, etc.

    Derived terms

    * ambitiously * ambitiousness * overambitious

    Related terms

    * ambition

    References

    * * * * * " ambitious" in the Wordsmyth Dictionary-Thesaurus (Wordsmyth, 2002) * " ambitious" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Cambridge University Press, 2007) * " ambitious" in Compact Oxford English Dictionary , (Oxford University Press, 2007)