Is there a formal way of saying 'hog'? [closed]
The term hog, as defined below, is an informal word.
1.3 informal A greedy person.
‘Our King was, in a simple statement, a greedy, power-hungry covetous hog.’
(Oxford Dictionaries)
Obligatory SWR example sentence:
How would Brenda (Queen Elizabeth II) say 'hog'?
Phillip! You're [hogging] all of one's bed!
My example is a bit tongue-in-cheek but I would prefer something one could say naturally; it doesn't have to be in Royal English.
Is there a formal word for this?
How about monopolize?
From M-W:
monopolize: to get a monopoly of : assume complete possession or control of
monopolist: a person who monopolizes
monopoly: exclusive possession or control
Your example:
Phillip! You're monopolizing the bed!
I can easily imagine Brenda (Queen Elizabeth II) saying this.
Covetous (adj.) could do.
- inordinately or wrongly desirous of wealth or possessions; greedy.
- eagerly desirous.
from Dictionary.com
This word is an adjective. If you need a noun, use covetous person.
I noticed after posting that this word was used in the OP's example sentence as "covetous hog". In a sense, the phrase "covetous hog" is, to some degree, a tautology, since a hog is covetous and a covetous person is often a hog.
Another word is Acquisitive (adj.) (found using a Google search for "synonyms for greedy"). Here is Dictionary.com's definition:
- tending or seeking to acquire and own, often greedily; eager to get wealth, possessions, etc.:
from Dictionary.com
This word seems to imply more of the action involved in being a hog. A covetous person might not actually acquire any of whatever it is that they covet, while an acquisitive person might be a covetous person who is actually doing so.