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

• covetousness
• enviousness
• envy
• green-eyed monster
• invidiousness
• resentment

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

Mendes was a few years ahead of Butterworth at Cambridge University and followed the playwright’s early career with admiration and a dose of healthy jealousy. —Chloe Schama, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2024

For both Emily and Sofia, Gabriel and Camille’s closeness, despite their split, is anxiety-inducing and sometimes provokes jealousy. —Cady Lang, TIME, 15 Aug. 2024

Speaking with Jason Matheson of The Jason Show, the legendary singer and drummer, 66, denied rumors that Prince and Jackson had any jealousy between them. —Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 26 July 2024

Harris-Biden 2024 would short-circuit the mendacity, jealousy and Machiavellian spirits circling 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. —Cary Goodman, New York Daily News, 22 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

see jealous

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