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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of envy
John Hopewell,
Variety,
16 June 2026
American science and scientific research remain the envy of the world.
—
Tara Haelle,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Tom Coyne has one of those jobs most would envy.
—
Lee Cowan,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for envy
Noun
Here, seething with envy at his counterpart in the North, Anta Claus sets out on a penguin-power journey to discover the secrets of a perfect Christmas.
—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
16 June 2026
American science and scientific research remain the envy of the world.
—
Tara Haelle,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
Verb
But compared to their predecessors and others in the region, this new generation of Gulf leaders offers a model of modernity that is envied and increasingly emulated throughout the Arab world.
—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Tom Coyne has one of those jobs most would envy.
—
Lee Cowan,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for envy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for envy
Noun
-
The jealousy that emanates from every pore of this guy is uncontrollable.
-
Whether your emotions understood the assignment, an uncomfortable revelation could expose jealousy, control issues, fears or the fact that a power dynamic has shifted.
Verb
-
And Freddy, of course, resents the hell out of him.
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Kenny would visit every summer, but began to resent the trip and his father’s second family.
Noun
-
Disciples of this extremist hatred are running for office and winning in select primaries.
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But to the man himself, comedy is—like life—first and foremost about hatred of death.
Noun
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But resentment does not equate to the crime of price gouging under federal or state laws.
-
Even among the Allies, there were deep divisions, lingering resentment, and few agreements.
Cite this Entry
“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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