greedy

Adjective

greedy (comparative greedier, superlative greediest)

1. Having greed; consumed by selfish desires.
   • For with ſuch puiſſance and impetuous maine / Thoſe Champions broke on them, that forſt the fly, / Like ſcattered Sheepe, whenas the Shepherds ſwaine / A Lyon and a Tigre doth eſpye, / With greedy pace forth ruſhing from the foreſt nye.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 14, page 311
   • “[…] Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing. Oh, dear, there's so much to tell you, so many warnings to give you, but all that must be postponed for the moment.”1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC
2. Prone to overeat.

   Synonyms:

   gluttonous

3. (regular expressions) Tending to match as much text as possible.
   • This regular expression performs a greedy match.

   Antonyms:

   lazy, nongreedy, reluctant

4. That tries to find the global optimum by finding the local optimum at each stage.

   Antonyms:

   nongreedy

5. (archaic) Greedily sought or pursued.
   • Suppoſe they be in number infinit,
     Yet being voyd of Martiall diſcipline,
     All running headlong after greedie ſpoiles: […]
     Their careleſſe ſwords ſhal lanch their fellows throats
     And make vs triumph in their ouerthrow.c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC...