envious

adjective

en·​vi·​ous ˈen-vē-əs How to pronounce envious (audio)
1
: feeling or showing envy
envious of their neighbor's new car
envious looks
2
archaic
a
b
enviously adverb
enviousness noun

Examples of envious in a Sentence

a family that is envious of their neighbors' big house
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Pizzi has heard from parents of kids in other football leagues who are envious of the changes that Riverdale has made, wishing their school would do the same. Alana Semuels, Time, 20 Oct. 2025 The White Lotus and Too Much star will play the musical genius alongside Paul Bettany (WandaVision), as envious court composer Antonio Salieri, and Gabrielle Creevy (In My Skin) as Constanze Weber, Mozart’s fiercely loyal wife. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025 Soon, Ron is on a quest that leads to enough rabbit holes to make QAnon envious. Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 10 Oct. 2025 Riley, perhaps a bit envious, took notice. Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for envious

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of envious was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Envious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/envious. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

envious

adjective
en·​vi·​ous ˈen-vē-əs How to pronounce envious (audio)
: feeling or showing envy
envious of a neighbor's good luck
an envious look
enviously adverb
enviousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on envious

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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