jealousy

noun

jeal·​ou·​sy ˈje-lə-sē 

plural jealousies

1

: a jealous disposition, attitude, or feeling

a marriage destroyed by jealousy

petty jealousies

2

: zealous vigilance

… cherish their official political freedom with fierce jealousy …

—Paul Blanshard

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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.

Synonyms of jealousy

• resentment
• envy
• hatred

Examples of jealousy in a Sentence

petty jealousies among political rivals

a marriage ruined by infidelity and jealousy

He was driven crazy with jealousy.

He was unable to control his jealousies.

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead of embracing the moment, too many players have projected petty jealousy, a grievance mentality and, at times, what many fans perceive as racial resentment. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026

Some speculated that Burke had killed his sister because of jealousy or that the two had fought over a late-night snack of pineapple and that Burke had fatally struck her with an object. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026

Investigators said the dispute stemmed from Serrano Domenech's jealousy over the victim's relationship with the witness. — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

And like the milkman, good-looking couriers delivering the coveted cooling relief became a source of jealousy for insecure husbands. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

jealousy

noun

jeal·​ou·​sy ˈjel-ə-sē 

plural jealousies

: a jealous disposition, attitude, or feeling