What does coveter mean?
A coveter is a person who covets — that is, someone who feels a strong, often envious longing for something, especially something owned or enjoyed by another. The word is an agent noun formed from the verb 'covet', which carries distinctly negative connotations in English, shaped largely by its use in the Ten Commandments ('Thou shalt not covet'). To be called a coveter is therefore rarely flattering: it suggests not mere admiration or ambition, but a restless, improper desire directed at another's possessions, status, or good fortune. The term is uncommon in everyday speech; writers more often reach for the verb 'covet', the adjective 'covetous', or the noun 'covetousness'. Still, 'coveter' fills a precise niche, naming the desiring person rather than the desire itself. It appears most naturally in moral, literary, or slightly formal contexts where the focus falls on the character of the one who wants what is not rightfully theirs.
nounA person who covets something; someone with a strong, often envious desire for what belongs to another.
- A person who covets; one who has an inordinate or envious desire for something, especially something belonging to another.
"The coveter of his neighbour's prize garden could think of little else all summer."
"Among the many admirers of the painting was one quiet coveter who returned day after day."
"The tenth commandment warns not only against the act but against being a coveter at heart."
Standard plural, formed regularly with -s.
"The parable contrasts the contented with the coveters who are never satisfied."
Coveting is so universally warned against that it appears in the Ten Commandments — and 'coveter' names the very person those words were aimed at.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coveter
'Coveter' derives from the verb 'covet', which entered English from Old French 'coveitier' (modern French 'convoiter'), itself from Vulgar Latin forms based on Latin 'cupiditas', meaning desire or eagerness, ultimately from 'cupidus' ('desiring') and 'cupere' ('to desire'). The agent-noun form 'coveter' arose in English by adding the suffix '-er' to the verb. Its closest English relatives are 'covetous' and 'covetousness'; deeper cognates include 'cupidity' and 'concupiscence', both learned borrowings from the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How coveter is actually used
A rare word; the verb 'covet' and the adjective 'covetous' are far more commonly used. 'Coveter' carries a negative connotation of envy or improper desire, rooted in its biblical associations.
Easily confused with coveter
A coventer is historically a Scottish Covenanter who signed the religious covenants of the 17th century, whereas a coveter is simply someone who covets.