GRASPING Synonyms: 179 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'grasping' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of grasping are acquisitive , avaricious , covetous , and greedy . While all these words mean "having or showing a strong desire for especially material possessions," grasping adds to covetous and greedy an implication of selfishness and often suggests unfair or ruthless means. // a hard grasping businesswoman who cheated her associates

Q: When is it sensible to use 'acquisitive' instead of 'grasping'?

The synonyms acquisitive and grasping are sometimes interchangeable, but acquisitive implies both eagerness to possess and ability to acquire and keep. // an eagerly acquisitive mind

Q: When could 'avaricious' be used to replace 'grasping'?

In some situations, the words avaricious and grasping are roughly equivalent. However, avaricious implies obsessive acquisitiveness especially of money and strongly suggests stinginess. // an avaricious miser

Q: When might 'covetous' be a better fit than 'grasping'?

The words covetous and grasping are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, covetous implies inordinate desire often for another's possessions. // covetous of his brother's country estate

Q: Where would 'greedy' be a reasonable alternative to 'grasping'?

The meanings of greedy and grasping largely overlap; however, greedy stresses lack of restraint and often of discrimination in desire. // greedy for status symbols

grasping 1 of 2

adjective

ˈgra-spiŋ

Definition of grasping

as in greedy

having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions a grasping person who would rather buy a car he didn't need than give a dime to charity

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grasping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of grasp

as in understanding

to have a practical understanding of he just doesn't grasp how important it is that he call when he'll be late

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in clasping

to put one's arms around and press tightly the departing soldier grasped his children a little closer than usual

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in holding

to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms the attendant grasped my arm and steered me towards the door

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in knowing

to have a clear idea of the emergency operator finally grasped what he was trying to tell her

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective grasping differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of grasping are acquisitive, avaricious, covetous, and greedy. While all these words mean "having or showing a strong desire for especially material possessions," grasping adds to covetous and greedy an implication of selfishness and often suggests unfair or ruthless means.

a hard grasping businesswoman who cheated her associates

When is it sensible to use acquisitive instead of grasping?

The synonyms acquisitive and grasping are sometimes interchangeable, but acquisitive implies both eagerness to possess and ability to acquire and keep.

an eagerly acquisitive mind

When could avaricious be used to replace grasping?

In some situations, the words avaricious and grasping are roughly equivalent. However, avaricious implies obsessive acquisitiveness especially of money and strongly suggests stinginess.

an avaricious miser

When might covetous be a better fit than grasping?

The words covetous and grasping are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, covetous implies inordinate desire often for another's possessions.

covetous of his brother's country estate

Where would greedy be a reasonable alternative to grasping?

The meanings of greedy and grasping largely overlap; however, greedy stresses lack of restraint and often of discrimination in desire.

greedy for status symbols

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grasping

Adjective

My hope is tenuous, grasping; scar tissue from 108 years of futility is never fully salved. — Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026 In this war lawyers invariably are depicted as soulless and grasping ambulance-chasers unconcerned about their clients’ welfare, and businesses as, well, soulless, grasping and unconcerned about their customers. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026 The grasping big toe also suggested this human relative spent more time in the trees. — CBS News, 26 Nov. 2025 The father, Fyodor Karamazov, is a grasping, lecherous, deceitful, and shameless widower. — Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025 Engineers still struggle to replicate a grasping human hand, or the hand-eye coordination of a human brain. — Natan Linder, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Multiplied across numerous markets in every state, the LIHTC fuels more and more grasping for cash instead of reductions to make housing easier to create. — Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

Verb

Among the Louvre’s loans is Bathsheba Holding King David’s Letter, from 1654, which depicts the heroine grasping King David’s disastrous summons. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Its combination of independent joint control, precise positioning, relatively low weight, and high grasping force is intended to help humanoid robots perform manipulation tasks that require greater dexterity and control. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026 Three months after his brother’s murder, Leroy still has a hard time grasping his family’s new reality. — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026 Congress ultimately adopted this image in the Great Seal of the United States in 1782, with a bald eagle grasping 13 arrows in one foot, and an olive branch representing peace in the other. — Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sep. 2026 Garcia lends the whole song theater-kid interpretation, essentially acting out the lyrics in pantomime, grasping out in front of her, clutching her face. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026 Remove the stems from the kale by grasping the leafy part and pulling off the stem. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026 The images are similarly framed, showing McConnell seated alongside his wife, Elaine Chao, who is grasping his arm. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026 This is supposed to be the part of the game Allen is weeks, even years, away from really grasping. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 16 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grasping

Adjective

John Wayne and Gary Cooper, like Ken-san, often played anachronistic loners from a disappearing Arcadia that was being destroyed by hard-nosed modernizers—greedy bankers, railway owners, big-city politicians.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Katz said the rapid and steep rate movements give investors a chance to buy from the fearful and sell to the greedy.

— Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of greedy

Verb

This theory, also known as active inference or the free energy principle, has become one of the most important frameworks in neuroscience for understanding how the brain works as a whole.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Once reunited with his old friends in the endless fields, play becomes his way of discovering and understanding life.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of understanding

Verb

But if the awards season goes as the streamer plans, a journey that began in Cannes with a rapturous standing ovation, could end with Los Javis clasping some golden statues.

— Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026
One juror was rubbing his eyes as Sullivan talked, and another was clasping and unclasping his hands in his lap.

— Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of clasping

Verb

Recent polls have shown Jackson holding only a narrow lead over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms.

— DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
France is holding its presidential elections in April 2027, and the far-right and far-left are leading the opinion polls.

— Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of holding

Verb

In other words, knowing how ads prompt purchase decisions is even more of a brass ring than ever.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Feels like groundhog day to be back here knowing what the problem is and also knowing that the front office probably can't do anything about it.

— James Mirtle, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of knowing

Adjective

Tech companies are eager for vast tracts to build data centers that can be as large as 70 football fields, and Townsite could set a precedent for similar projects on federal property with more than a dozen others in the planning stages.

— Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
The shores of Clearwater Beach are packed block-to-block with resorts booked up by eager beachgoers, but the JW Marriott might just be the one to convince you to hang around a little bit longer before launching into Clearwater’s ombré coast.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of eager

Verb

Kardashian has been a longtime fan of statement-making shoes, often balancing her figure-hugging clothing choices with bold platform heels.

— Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Schwarzenegger and Newsom piled praise upon each other during the Wednesday afternoon discussion, hugging at the end.

— Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of hugging

Browse Nearby Words

grasped

grasping

graspingness

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“Grasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grasping. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grasping

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