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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.
Examples of jealousy in a Sentence
Joelle Goldstein, People.com, 27 June 2025
La Piscine’s dark summer romp through the dangers of lust, jealousy, and gluttony proves nothing is ultimately sexier than the privilege of indifference.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
A little jealousy or sadness when your BFF is having fun with someone else isn’t automatically a red flag.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 19 June 2025
But as Bethenny’s star began to rise, Jill’s jealousy grew.
—Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for jealousy
Cite this Entry
“Jealousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jealousy. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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jealousy
noun
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