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

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 Alex allegedly got jealous of Dianna's relationship with Sebastian Stan, accusing her of cheating, and the couple soon split. — Hannah Orenstein, Seventeen, "27 Celebrities Who Dated Their Co-Stars IRL," 7 Dec. 2018 Their relationship starts to morph once Laura becomes engaged and Amelia gets jealous. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "9 great movies that explain cinema’s fascination with New York women," 13 July 2018 As William Manchester makes clear in his biography, MacArthur was a leader given to considerable pettiness, often jealous of his subordinates. — James M. Scott, WSJ, "Five Best: James M. Scott," 8 Nov. 2018 Things seem decidedly smooth until the jealous Yuri Gaga... err Leftkin in the film... lands on this fantastical planet. — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "Laika: Forget historic tragedy, this first space dog saves alien planets," 14 Oct. 2018 The comforter could probably make clouds jealous with its soft touch. — Danielle Tullo, House Beautiful, "I Used to Wake Up Sweating In the Middle of The Night — This Blanket Changed That," 27 Aug. 2018

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.