Did you know?
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
Lindy Segal, Glamour, 7 July 2025
There are so many emotions here: jealousy, strong desire to succeed.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 6 July 2025
Still, the lovers’ sense of yearning and jealousy just isn’t that palpable.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
The researchers surveyed 275 heterosexual women aged 18 to 50 and found that women who endorsed these beliefs were significantly more likely to view controlling behaviors (such as jealousy, possessiveness or making decisions for the partner) as romantic.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 2 July 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 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jealousy
noun
Share