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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
Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
During the episode, Shane begins dating movie star Rose Landry (Sophie Nélisse) as Ilya’s jealousy begins to penetrate the surface.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
In DaCosta’s vision, Tessa Thompson dives in as Hedda, a woman in 1950s London trapped within the constraints of society who, in one fateful night amid a swirl of scandal, trysts and jealousy at an opulent party, decides to take it all down.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025
Keōua is a force of pure aggression and chaos, and Curtis gives him the very mortal qualities of pettiness and jealousy to round out a fantastic villain.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 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 28 Dec. 2025.
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jealousy
noun
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