Phrase guide

filthy lucre

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌfɪlθi ˈl(j)uːkə/
  • General-American: /ˌfɪlθi ˈlukəɹ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uːkə(ɹ)

1

noun

Meaning 1

Money, especially if obtained dishonestly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, humorous, idiomatic, often, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dirty money, lucre

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

shameful profit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he would sell his soul for filthy lucre

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: net income, net, net profit, lucre, profit, profits, earnings

History

Etymology

From filthy + lucre, which appears in the Tyndale Bible, and four times in the King James Version of the Bible, as a calque of Ancient Greek αἰσχρόν κέρδος (aiskhrón kérdos) and related terms such as αἰσχροκερδής (aiskhrokerdḗs, “[a person] given to filthy lucre”): see the quotations and Citations:filthy lucre.