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

: 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

jealously adverb

jealousness noun

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

• 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

Griffiths isn’t jealous of her colleagues’ roles, however. —Marta Balaga, Variety, 18 June 2025

Trying to compare Prudence Featherington, the jealous and spoiled sister of Penelope Featherington (now Penelope Bridgerton!), to Nancy Mitford is a weird task for Carter. —Julia Moore, People.com, 18 June 2025

In the novel, Rusty’s wife Barbara murders his colleague Carolyn Polhemus in a jealous rage after learning Carolyn and Rusty were having an affair. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 9 June 2025

Charli is exceptionally good at reiterating her own notoriety via a kind of defiant strut, smirking in the face of jealous losers; Rae is not nearly as convincing in this mode, but something about her wholesomeness works as a foil to Charli’s cockiness. —Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

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