jealous

adjective

jeal·​ous ˈje-ləs 

1

: hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage : envious

His success made his old friends jealous.

They were jealous of his success.

2

a

: intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness

… jealous of the slightest interference in household management …

—Havelock Ellis

b

: tending to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness

a jealous husband

3

: vigilant in guarding a possession

… new colonies were jealous of their new independence.

—Scott Buchanan

jealously adverb

jealousness noun

Usage of Jealous and Envious

Some assert that only envious is correctly used to describe someone who feels or shows a very strong desire for something that belongs to someone else, but in truth both envious and jealous commonly carry this meaning. Jealous alone is used to describe someone who tends to suspect unfaithfulness.

a jealous lover

Did you know?

Zealous vs. Jealous

Zealous and jealous share not just a rhyme, but an etymology. Both words ultimately come from the Latin zelus “jealousy,” and in the past their meanings were somewhat closer to each other than they are today. In the 16th and 17th centuries, zealous occasionally was used in biblical writing to refer to a quality of apprehensiveness or jealousy of another. By the 18th century, however, it had completely diverged in meaning from jealous, signifying “warmly engaged or ardent on behalf of someone or something.” Today, zealous often carries a connotation of excessive feeling: it typically means “fiercely partisan” or “uncompromisingly enthusiastic.”

Synonyms of jealous

• possessive

Examples of jealous in a Sentence

His success has made some of his old friends jealous.

She became very jealous whenever he talked to other women.

He was in a jealous rage.

Recent Examples on the Web

But no need to be jealous because that was not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. — Jennet Jusu, Allure, 10 Sep. 2026

Nina Shipman, who came from a prominent show business family to star alongside Fred MacMurray in The Oregon Trail and step in for Grandpa in a ploy to make Lily jealous on one of the wackiest episodes of The Munsters, has died. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

But guerrilla healthcare has put Gilly at odds with 1) Sally, who’s grown problematically jealous of her charismatic sister’s rising stature in the community, and 2) her law-loving brother-in-law, Special Agent Gary Hallet. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

With this new friction bubbling over, conversely Miguel is growing jealous of his wife’s work with a young American writer, Jeremy (Patrick Schwarzenegger), traveling through London. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English jelous, from Anglo-French gelus, from Vulgar Latin *zelosus, from Late Latin zelus zeal — more at zeal

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for jealous

• bellis
• felis
• fellas
• pelisse
• trellis
• zealous
• michaelis
• nucellus
• ocellus
• overzealous

Kids Definition

jealous

adjective

jeal·​ous ˈjel-əs 

1

: demanding complete devotion

2

: feeling mean resentment toward a rival or competitor

3

: fearful of the loss of a loved one's devotion

4

: watchful, careful

jealously adverb