as in jealousy
a painful awareness of another's possessions or advantages and a desire to have them too
their envy of their neighbor's fancy home threatened to wreck their friendship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to resent
to have a resentful awareness of and desire for (another's possessions or advantages) or to feel resentment toward (someone) over possessions or advantages
her coworkers envied her chummy relationship with the senior vice president they envied him because he didn't have to work for a living
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of envy
Katie Silver, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026
While not imposing at 5-foot-11, Johnson’s resume is the envy of others.
—Jay Paris, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Josh Yohe, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Why is all so downbeat, when Illinois has strengths and assets that other states envy?
—Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for envy
Noun
From praiseworthy to problematic Mexico's vaccination system was once the envy of health policymakers in Latin America.
—Katie Silver, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026
While not imposing at 5-foot-11, Johnson’s resume is the envy of others.
—Jay Paris, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
Love them or hate them, marvel at them or envy them, the Penguins are a fascinating franchise.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Why is all so downbeat, when Illinois has strengths and assets that other states envy?
—Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for envy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for envy
Noun
-
Be careful not to let someone else manipulate you or use guilt or jealousy as a technique.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But his urge to steal wasn’t rooted in jealousy.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Panamanians increasingly resented having their country split in two by the racially segregated, colony-like zone.—
The Conversation,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Stop resenting her presumptiveness and talk to her.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gracie’s discovery is squelched and this character’s value to the play comes in establishing how institutional silence can have an equally pernicious impact on confronting social hatreds.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
-
There is nothing quite like the theater and hatred that comes when the Penguins and Flyers share a sheet of ice.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Season 2 of the Netflix iteration dropped all nine of its episodes on April 10, with early promises to stay faithful evaporating as new attractions emerged and simmering resentments boiled over.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But Elham, a contentious and fiercely competitive student, suspects that Marjan’s zeal for anglophone culture, including Hollywood romantic comedies, masks a resentment for the Iranian life she is now stuck with.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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