covet
verb
Simple meaning
To wish for with eagerness.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kuhvuhtSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkʌvət
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To wish for with eagerness; to desire possession of, often enviously.
Wish, long, or crave for (something, especially the property of another person)
intransitive
To yearn; to have or indulge an inordinate desire, especially for another's possession.
transitive
To long for inordinately or unlawfully; to hanker after (something forbidden).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To wish for with eagerness; to desire possession of, often enviously.
Used this way, covet is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It carries warmth, so it reads as personal rather than detached.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Keen and enthusiastic
- Usage feel
- Warm and expressive
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use covet
- “She covets her sister's house.”verb
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.