gierig
greedy
An excessive and selfish desire for something, especially food, money, or power.
EXAMPLE
Er aß die Pizza so gierig, als hätte er tagelang nichts gegessen.
He ate the pizza so greedily, as if he hadn't eaten anything for days.
gierig
greedy
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Meanings
gierig nach
eager for
To have a strong, eager desire for something, often in a figurative sense for knowledge or experiences.
EXAMPLE
Die Studenten waren gierig nach neuem Wissen und stellten viele Fragen.
The students were eager for new knowledge and asked many questions.
Usage tips
Word family
The adjective 'gierig' (greedy) is closely related to the noun 'die Gier' (greed). If you know the noun, you can easily work out the meaning of the adjective.
EXAMPLE
Seine Gier nach Geld war unersättlich.
His greed for money was insatiable.
Fixed preposition
In the figurative meaning, 'gierig' (eager/greedy) is always used with the preposition 'nach' and the dative. This structure expresses a strong, eager desire.
EXAMPLE
Der junge Forscher war gierig nach neuen Erkenntnissen.
The young researcher was eager for new findings.
Context clue
The preposition 'nach' almost always signals the figurative, often more positive meaning ('eager'). Without a preposition, when it describes an action (e.g. 'gierig essen' — to eat greedily), it usually has the negative meaning ('greedy').
EXAMPLE
Der Hund verschlang gierig sein Futter.
The dog greedily devoured its food.
Compare with
gierig vs hungrig
hungry
Hungrig auf and gierig nach can both express a strong desire. Hungrig auf Erfolg does not have to carry a negative evaluation. Gierig, by contrast, is usually disapproving when the desire seems excessive or selfish.
gierig
Die Managerin ist gierig nach immer mehr Erfolg und verdrängt dabei ihre Kollegen.
The manager is greedy for ever more success and pushes her colleagues aside in the process.
hungrig
Die junge Managerin ist hungrig auf Erfolg und nimmt jede Herausforderung an.
The young manager is hungry for success and takes on every challenge.
In real life
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