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Jealousy vs. Envy
Depending on who you ask, jealousy and envy are either exact synonyms, totally different words, or near-synonyms with some degree of semantic overlap and some differences. It is difficult to make the case, based on the evidence of usage that we have, for either of the first two possibilities. Both jealousy and envy are often used to indicate that a person is covetous of something that someone else has, but jealousy carries the particular sense of “zealous vigilance” and tends to be applied more exclusively to feelings of protectiveness regarding one’s own advantages or attachments. In the domain of romance, it is more commonly found than envy. If you were to say “your salt-shaker collection fills me with jealousy,” most people would take it to mean much the same thing as “your salt-shaker collection fills me with envy.” But if someone made a flirtatious comment to your partner, you would likely say that it caused you jealousy, not envy.
Synonyms
Examples of envy in a Sentence
Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
The long game There no doubt was a tinge of envy from SDSU supporters, playing BYU.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
The home-shopping spree became a source of local gossip and envy: One four-bedroom home with a sunroom and wooded backyard, which Donaldson’s company bought for $680,000 in 2021, had been sold four years earlier for roughly half that price.
—Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
That income, along with health clinics and other benefits, makes the Redding Rancheria members the envy of Indigenous groups with comparatively paltry assets.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023
There’s no equivalent to the flashes of racial antagonism in Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, or envy of the black jazz Other in his troubled musical New York, New York — insights that made those movies powerful expressions of American self-consciousness.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Oct. 2023
The caveats Drive Pilot comes with a list of caveats that would be the envy of any pharmaceutical ad writer.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 12 Oct. 2023
The traditional power graduated several key players that fueled their two title runs —and longtime coach Maureen Noon has retired — but the Golden Warriors still have depth other schools envy.
—Kat Cornetta, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Aug. 2023
Readers first met Ripley in 1955, when Highsmith introduced him as a young American of indeterminate desires whose envy of the rich, indolent playboy he’s been hired to bring home from Italy shades into a kind of lethal longing — to be him, have him, replace him.
—Mark Harris, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Nov. 2023
Philip Pacheco—Bloomberg/Getty Images Many people envy Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2023
Under the school’s exalted stone and spires are students lying and envying and pretending in a twisted garden of earthly delights.
—Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 4 Nov. 2023
There probably isn’t a top director or star who doesn’t envy Taylor Swift for doing an end-run around the Hollywood studio system and teaming directly with AMC Theatres to bring her new concert movie to the big screen.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2023
Local artists envied Sir Mix-A-Lot’s success and fame but also sought to emulate his example.
—Gary Campbell, SPIN, 17 Oct. 2023
Still, Riley can’t help but envy his friend’s summer schedule.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
Charlotte Banks lives in a house that just about anyone would envy.
—Stanley Reed, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2023
However, even if counterforce attacks did spare some people, these survivors, who would live in a smoking radiating ruin, would likely envy the dead.
—Charles L. Glaser, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'envy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
Middle English envie, from Anglo-French, from Latin invidia, from invidus envious, from invidēre to look askance at, envy, from in- + vidēre to see — more at wit
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing envy
Articles Related to envy
Dictionary Entries Near envy
Cite this Entry
“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/envy. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
envy
1 of 2 noun
envy
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on envy
Nglish: Translation of envy for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of envy for Arabic Speakers
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