Grasping — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈgra-spiŋ/ grasp·ing

Meaning & Definition of Grasping

Grasping (adjective)

  1. used, designed, or adapted to grasp
  2. desiring material possessions urgently and excessively and often to the point of ruthlessness

Grasping (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions

    "a grasping person who would rather buy a car he didn't need than give a dime to charity"

    similar: acquisitive, avaricious, avid, coveting, covetous, grabby, greedy, mercenary, moneygrubbing, rapacious
    related: commercialistic, materialistic, philistine, desirous, eager, itchy, lickerish, miserly, hoggish, piggish, piggy, swinish, devouring, gluttonous, gobbling, insatiable, ravenous, unquenchable, voracious, egocentric, egoistic, egotistic, self-centered, self-seeking, discontent, discontented, malcontent, unsatisfied, begrudging, grudging, resentful
    near: nonmaterialistic, altruistic, bounteous, bountiful, charitable, freehanded, generous, greathearted, handsome, liberal, magnanimous, munificent, openhanded, openhearted, selfless, unselfish, unsparing, controlled, moderate, restrained, temperate, content, sated, satisfied

Grasping (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to have a practical understanding of

    "he just doesn't grasp how important it is that he call when he'll be late"

    similar: comprehending, knowing, understanding
    related: appreciating, apprehending, cognizing, fathoming, following, kenning (chiefly Scottish), perceiving, savvying, having, possessing, catching on (to), picking up
    near: misapprehending, misconceiving, misinterpreting, misknowing, misperceiving, misunderstanding

  2. to put one's arms around and press tightly

    "the departing soldier grasped his children a little closer than usual"

    similar: bear-hugging, clasping, crushing, embracing, enclasping, enfolding, hugging, straining
    related: clamping, clinging, cradling, grabbing, gripping, holding, bosoming, embosoming, encircling, entwining, enveloping, enwinding, folding, locking, twining, wrapping, cuddling, fondling, nestling, nuzzling, patting, petting, snuggling, stroking

  3. to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms

    "the attendant grasped my arm and steered me towards the door"

    similar: clasping, gripping, holding, taking, hanging on to, laying hold of
    related: clenching, clinging (to), clutching, holding on (to), catching, nabbing, seizing, snatching
    near: discharging, dropping, freeing, liberating, releasing, delivering, entrusting, giving, handing, handing over, passing, relinquishing, transferring, transmitting, turning over, unhanding

  4. to have a clear idea of

    "the emergency operator finally grasped what he was trying to tell her"

    similar: appreciating, apprehending, assimilating, beholding, catching, catching on (to), cognizing, compassing, comprehending, conceiving, cottoning (to or on to), deciphering, decoding, digging, discerning, getting, grokking, intuiting, knowing, making, making out, perceiving, recognizing, registering, savvying, seeing, seizing, sensing, tumbling (to), twigging, understanding, picking up on
    related: absorbing, digesting, taking in, realizing, fathoming, penetrating, piercing
    opposite: missing
    near: misapprehending, misconceiving, misconstruing, misinterpreting, misperceiving, misreading, mistaking, misunderstanding

Related Entry: Grasp (verb)

Grasp is a different word from Grasping. The synonyms below are for grasp, not for grasping.

  1. to have a practical understanding of

    "he just doesn't grasp how important it is that he call when he'll be late"

    similar: comprehend, know, understand
    related: appreciate, apprehend, cognize, fathom, follow, ken (chiefly Scottish), perceive, savvy, have, possess, catch on (to), pick up
    near: misapprehend, misconceive, misinterpret, misknow, misperceive, misunderstand

  2. to put one's arms around and press tightly

    "the departing soldier grasped his children a little closer than usual"

    similar: bear-hug, clasp, crush, embrace, enclasp, enfold, hug, strain
    related: clamp, cling, cradle, grab, grip, hold, bosom, embosom, encircle, entwine, envelop, enwind, fold, lock, twine, wrap, cuddle, fondle, nestle, nuzzle, pat, pet, snuggle, stroke

  3. to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms

    "the attendant grasped my arm and steered me towards the door"

    similar: clasp, grip, hold, take, hang on to, lay hold of
    related: clench, cling (to), clutch, hold on (to), catch, nab, seize, snatch
    near: discharge, drop, free, liberate, release, deliver, entrust, give, hand, hand over, pass, relinquish, transfer, transmit, turn over, unhand

  4. to have a clear idea of

    "the emergency operator finally grasped what he was trying to tell her"

    similar: appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, comprehend, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grok, intuit, know, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understand, pick up on
    related: absorb, digest, take in, realize, fathom, penetrate, pierce
    opposite: miss
    near: misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstand

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Grasping

The most common words with a similar meaning to Grasping:

acquisitive, avaricious, avid, coveting, covetous, grabby, greedy, mercenary, moneygrubbing, rapacious, comprehending, knowing, understanding, bear-hugging, clasping, crushing, embracing, enclasping, enfolding, hugging, straining, gripping, holding, taking, appreciating, apprehending, assimilating, beholding, catching, catching on (to), cognizing, compassing, conceiving, cottoning (to or on to), deciphering, decoding, digging, discerning, getting, grokking

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Grasping

Words with the opposite meaning of Grasping:

missing

Related Words for Grasping

commercialistic, materialistic, philistine, desirous, eager, itchy, lickerish, miserly, hoggish, piggish, piggy, swinish, devouring, gluttonous, gobbling, insatiable, ravenous, unquenchable, voracious, egocentric, egoistic, egotistic, self-centered, self-seeking, discontent, discontented, malcontent, unsatisfied, begrudging, grudging

Near Antonyms of Grasping

nonmaterialistic, altruistic, bounteous, bountiful, charitable, freehanded, generous, greathearted, handsome, liberal, magnanimous, munificent, openhanded, openhearted, selfless, unselfish, unsparing, controlled, moderate, restrained, temperate, content, sated, satisfied, misapprehending, misconceiving, misinterpreting, misknowing, misperceiving, misunderstanding

Word Forms of Grasping

Derived words: graspingly (adverb), graspingness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Grasping

First known use: 1577

Frequently Asked Questions about Grasping

What does "Grasping" mean?

"Grasping" means used, designed, or adapted to grasp. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: used, designed, or adapted to grasp. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Grasping"?

Other words for "Grasping" include acquisitive, avaricious, avid, coveting, covetous, grabby, greedy and mercenary. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Grasping" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Grasping"?

There are 126 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Grasping". Common alternatives include acquisitive, avaricious, avid, coveting, covetous, grabby, greedy, mercenary, moneygrubbing and rapacious.

What is the opposite of "Grasping"?

Antonyms of "Grasping" include missing. Near antonyms include nonmaterialistic, altruistic, bounteous and bountiful.

How do you use "Grasping" in a sentence?

Examples of "Grasping" in a sentence: "a grasping person who would rather buy a car he didn't need than give a dime to charity"; "he just doesn't grasp how important it is that he call when he'll be late"; "the departing soldier grasped his children a little closer than usual".

Is "Grasping" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Grasping" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Grasping"?

"Grasping" is pronounced /ˈgra-spiŋ/ and divided into syllables as grasp·ing.

What is the origin of the word "Grasping"?

First known use: 1577.