Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| avido | /ˈa.vi.do/ |
| ingordo | /inˈɡor.do/ |
Both terms describe someone consumed by selfish desires, but they are used for different types of greed. Avido refers to a desire for abstract concepts such as power, money or knowledge, while ingordo refers to a greed for food or physical consumption.
Which one should you use?
Use avido when discussing greed regarding wealth or status. Use ingordo when discussing a person's greed specifically regarding food.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, these words must agree with the gender and number of the subject. The masculine singular is avido and ingordo. For a female subject, use avida or ingorda. For a group of males or a mixed group, use avidi. For a group of females, use avide.
How do you pronounce it?
Avido is pronounced as /ˈa.vi.do/. The stress is on the first of the three syllables.
Did you know?
- While 'greedy' usually carries a negative connotation in English, calling someone avido of knowledge can actually be a compliment to their intense passion for learning.
- The word ingordo shares a linguistic lineage with the Spanish and Portuguese word gordo, which means 'fat'.
Examples in context
- È avido e pigro.He's greedy and lazy.This sentence shows how to use avido with another adjective.Tatoeba #3258239 by Guybrush88, translation #1907949 by Spamster
- Tom non è avido.Tom isn't greedy.This sentence uses avido in a negative context.Tatoeba #4247461 by Guybrush88, translation #3360578 by CK
- È ingordo e pigro.He is greedy and lazy.This sentence demonstrates the use of ingordo.Tatoeba #4281408 by Guybrush88, translation #2136827 by GLOBULE38
- Luca è un uomo avido.Luca is a greedy man.
- Marco è molto avaro, non vuole mai pagare il conto.Marco is very greedy, he never wants to pay the bill.
- I suoi amici lo chiamano l'accaparratore, perché vuole sempre tutto per sé.His friends call him the 'accaparratore,' because he always wants everything for himself.
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Francesco are discussing a former business partner.
- SofiaQuel vecchio socio era davvero avido.That old partner was truly greedy.
- FrancescoLo sapevo, voleva solo il potere.I knew it, he only wanted power.
- SofiaNon pensava mai al bene comune.He never thought about the common good.
- FrancescoUn uomo avido non cambia mai.A greedy man never changes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “greedy” translations and entries avido, ingordo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries avido, ingordo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
