jealous

adjective

jeal·ous | \ ˈje-ləs

Definition of jealous

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.

2a : intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness jealous of the slightest interference in household management— Havelock Ellis

b : disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness a jealous husband

3 : vigilant in guarding a possession new colonies were jealous of their new independence— Scott Buchanan

Other Words from jealous Synonyms Zealous vs. Jealous More Example Sentences Learn More about jealous

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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.”

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

He's muscled with a six-pack that would make even Nick Scratch jealous, has beautiful brown locks of hair, and trots around town wearing nothing but a loincloth, showing off his blasphemous backside and eventually making his way to Dorian Gray's. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," 10 Apr. 2019 That kind of gushing then led Michael Strahan to imply Blake might be jealous. — Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue, "Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds's Instagram Trolling: A History," 4 Oct. 2018 Racist, bullying and jealous of Dufraisne's attention. — Jeremy Henderson, AL.com, "7 MORE really random Auburn references in pop culture," 6 Dec. 2017 Getty Images In spring of 2018, reports surfaced that Ronaldo regretted the split, was still in love with Shayk, and was jealous of her relationship with Cooper. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Who Is Irina Shayk? Everything You Need to Know About Bradley Cooper's Long-Time Girlfriend," 24 Feb. 2019 It’s anchored by that signature bass supremacy that every owner of Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Grado, or Audio-Technica headphones is at least a little bit jealous of. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "Audeze LCD2 Classic review: these cans will turn you into an audiophile," 3 Aug. 2018 Jessica was an overly friendly, slightly nervous girl who liked Bella, but was also jealous of the attention shegot from guys, specifically Jessica's crush, Mike Newton. — Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue, "Anna Kendrick Forgot She Was in "Twilight"," 26 Nov. 2018 Very jealous of Fox News always and yet, Senator Cruz has just gave a CNN reporter a 15-minute on camera interview that CNN had not just aired. — Fox News, "Kellyanne Conway: CNN's bombshell report is just a bomb," 29 Aug. 2018 In the original story, the real villains are Belle's evil sisters—who are extremely jealous of her beauty and approach to life. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "The Real Story Behind 'Beauty and the Beast' Is Nothing Like the Movie You Love," 30 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jealous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.