filthy lucre
Morally compromised riches
Filthy lucre is money, especially money acquired through dishonorable means or pursued with excessive greed.
The phrase comes from the Bible and carries a tone of moral disapproval—wealth as something spiritually corrupting.
Today it's often used ironically or humorously: I'm just in it for the filthy lucre.
- avariceExcessive desire for riches
- root of all evilSupposed source of wrongdoing
- mammonWealth as deity
- love of moneyObsessive desire for riches
- ill-gotten gainsWealth obtained dishonestly
money · cold hard cash · mercenary · greed · profiteering · cash grab · corruptible · graft · blood money · boodle · bribery · palm greasing · under the table · Judas Iscariot · loot · pelf · embezzlement · moral decay
- greedgreed, avarice, covetousness, cupidity, materialism
- dirty moneydirty money, ill-gotten gains, illicit funds, illicit gains, proceeds of crime
- money slangbucks, dough, moolah, cheddar, cash
filthy lucretreasure in heaven
Eternal spiritual riches
treasures in heaven · virtue · grace · heavenly reward · salvation
filthy lucrehonest living
Income from ethical labor
charitable giving · alms · philanthropy · just deserts · modest means