Greed vs Gain - What's the difference?
greed | gain |
A selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions.
(obsolete) Straight, direct; near; short.
(obsolete) Suitable; convenient; ready.
(dialectal) Easy; tolerable; handy, dexterous.
(dialectal) Honest; respectable; moderate; cheap.
(obsolete) Straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.
(dialectal) Suitably; conveniently; dexterously; moderately.
(dialectal) Tolerably; fairly.
The act of gaining.
* Tennyson
What one gains, as a return on investment or dividend.
* Shakespeare
(electronics) The factor by which a signal is multiplied.
To acquire possession of what one did not have before.
* Bible, Matthew xvi. 26
* Alexander Pope
To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.
* Bible, Ezekiel xxii. 12
(dated) To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.
To increase.
* 1883 , (Howard Pyle), (The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood)
To be more likely to catch or overtake an individual.
To reach.
* 1907 , Jack London, The Iron Heel :
To draw into any interest or party; to win to one's side; to conciliate.
* Bible, Matthew xviii. 15
* Dryden
To put on weight.
(of a clock or watch) To run fast.
(architecture) A square or bevelled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.
As nouns the difference between greed and gain
is that greed is a selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions while gain is the act of gaining or gain can be (architecture) a square or bevelled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.As a preposition gain is
(obsolete) against.As an adjective gain is
(obsolete) straight, direct; near; short.As an adverb gain is
(obsolete) straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.As a verb gain is
to acquire possession of what one did not have before.greed
English
Noun
- His greed was his undoing.
- What drove them was their ambition, their greed for power.
Synonyms
* (selfish desire for more than is needed) avarice, covetousness, greediness, rapacity * See also * (desire for food) gluttonyDerived terms
* greedily * greediness * greedyExternal links
* *Anagrams
*gain
English
Etymology 1
From dialectal English (m), (m), short for (m), . More at (l).Derived terms
* (l)Etymology 2
From (etyl) (m), (m), , from the adjective.Adjective
(en adjective)- the gainest way
Derived terms
* (l) * (l)Adverb
(en adverb)- gain quiet (= fairly/pretty quiet)
Etymology 3
From (etyl) (m), . The Middle English word was reinforced by (etyl) . Related to (l), (l).Noun
(en noun)- the lust of gain
- No pain, no gain .
- Everyone shall share in the gains .
Antonyms
* lossDerived terms
* autogain * gainful * gainsomeVerb
(en verb)- Looks like you've gained a new friend.
- What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
- For fame with toil we gain , but lose with ease.
- The sick man gains daily.
- Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion.
- to gain''' a battle; to '''gain a case at law
- Then they had bouts of wrestling and of cudgel play, so that every day they gained in skill and strength.
- I'm gaining (on you).
- gain ground
- to gain the top of a mountain
- Ernest laughed harshly and savagely when he had gained the street.
- If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
- to gratify the queen, and gain the court
- I've been gaining .