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cupidity

noun
cu·​pid·​i·​ty | \ kyu̇-ˈpi-də-tē How to pronounce cupidity (audio) \
plural cupidities

Definition of cupidity

1 : inordinate desire for wealth : avarice, greed the cupidity of the bankers
2 : strong desire : lust
Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about cupidity

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Did You Know?

From its verb "cupere" ("to desire") Latin derived three nouns which have passed with minimal modification into English. Cupiditas meant "yearning and "desire"; English borrowed this as "cupidity," which originally in the 15th century was synonymous with "lust." (The "greed" meaning of "cupidity" developed very soon after this other now-archaic meaning.) Latin cupido started out as a near synonym of "cupiditas," but it came to stand for the personification of specifically carnal desire, the counterpart of Greek eros; this is the source of our familiar (and rather domesticated) Cupid. A strengthened form of "cupere" - concupiscere, meaning "to desire ardently - yielded the noun "concupiscentia" in the Late Latin of the Christian church. "Concupiscentia" came specially to denote sexual desire, a meaning reflected in the English version concupiscence, meaning "sexual desire."

Examples of cupidity in a Sentence

The evidence revealed the cupidity of the company's directors. reports of great treasure in the Indies inflamed the cupidity of Columbus's crew

Recent Examples on the Web

 Their cupidity quickly becomes an existential threat to all of the people and things that define the city, condemning them to a subterranean life at the bottom of the void. — Laura Hudson, The Verge, "Donut County is a game about swallowing Los Angeles and realizing you’re an asshole," 1 Sep. 2018 Their cupidity quickly becomes an existential threat to all of the people and things that define the city, condemning them to a subterranean life at the bottom of the void. — Laura Hudson, The Verge, "Donut County is a game about swallowing Los Angeles and realizing you’re an asshole," 1 Sep. 2018 What keeps us from tuning out is the infectious energy of an ensemble that delights in its characters’ displays of cupidity and stupidity, and the storybook ingenuity of the physical production. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: A Boisterous ‘Low Road’ Finds the Potholes in Capitalism," 7 Mar. 2018 And if anyone shall be led by his cupidity or arrogance to break this truce, by the authority of God and with the sanction of this Council he shall be anathematized. — James Carroll, The New Yorker, "Pope Francis Proposes a Cure for Populism," 28 Mar. 2017 The cupidity of the government and white real estate developers leaves working-class locals, women especially, with few options. — Jennifer Senior, New York Times, "Here Comes the Sun," 29 June 2016 Cupidity and corruption perform, year after year, their reverse magic. — Dwight Garner, New York Times, "Review: Mischa Berlinski’s ‘Peacekeeping,’ a Portrait of Haiti," 10 Mar. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cupidity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of cupidity

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for cupidity

Middle English cupidite, from Anglo-French cupidité, from Latin cupiditat-, cupiditas — more at covet

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More Definitions for cupidity

cupidity

noun
How to pronounce cupidity (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of cupidity

formal : a strong desire for money or possessions

See the full definition for cupidity in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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