nd _covetous_ refer especially to acquisition, _miserly_,
_niggardly_, _parsimonious_, and _penurious_ to expenditure. The
_avaricious_ man has an eager craving for money, and ordinarily desires
both to get and to keep, the _covetous_ man to get something away from
its possessor; tho one may be made _avaricious_ by the pressure of great
expenditures. _Miserly_ and _niggardly_ persons seek to gain by mean and
petty savings; the _miserly_ by stinting themselves, the _niggardly_ by
stinting others. _Parsimonious_ and _penurious_ may apply to one's
outlay either for himself or for others; in the latter use, they are
somewhat less harsh and reproachful terms than _niggardly_. The _close_
man holds like a vise all that he gets. _Near_ and _nigh_ are provincial
words of similar import. The _rapacious_ have the robber instinct, and
put it in practise in some form, as far as they dare. The _avaricious_
and _rapacious_ are ready to reach out for gain; the _parsimonious_,
_miserly_, and _niggardly_ prefer the safer and less adventurous way of
avoiding expenditure. _Greedy_ and _stingy_ are used not only of money,
but often of other things, as food, etc. The _greedy_ child wishes to
enjoy everything himself; the _stingy_ child, to keep others from
getting it.

Antonyms:

bountiful, free, generous, liberal, munificent, prodigal, wasteful.

Preposition:

The monarch was avaricious _of_ power.

* * * * *

AVENGE.

Synonyms:

punish, retaliate, revenge, vindicate, visit.

_Avenge_ and _revenge_, once close synonyms, are now far apart in
meaning. To _avenge_ is to _visit_ some offense with punishment, in
order to _vindicate_ the righteous, or to uphold and illustrate the
right by the suffering or destruction of the wicked. "And seeing one of
them suffer wrong, he _avenged_ him that was oppressed, and smote the
Egyptian," _Acts_ vii, 24. To _revenge_ is to inflict harm or suffering
upon another through personal anger and resentment at something done to
ourselves. _Avenge_ is unselfish; _revenge_ is selfish. _Revenge_,
according to present usage, could not be said of God. To _retaliate_ may
be necessary for self-defense, without the idea of _revenge_. Compare
REVENGE.

Prepositions:

Avenge _on_ or _upon_ (rarely, avenge oneself _of_) a wrong-doer.

* * * * *

AVOW.

Synonyms:

knowledge, aver, confess, own, profess, testi