envy 1 of 2

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

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envy

2 of 2

verb

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of envy
Noun
Millionaires once had a rarefied mystique, inspiring curiosity and causing envy among everyday Americans who dreamed of financial independence. Mark Dent, HubSpot, 16 May 2025 Photo: Nick Mele The flattering press provoked envy within the gilded cage that is cliquey, gay South Florida. Ben Widdicombe, Vulture, 12 May 2025
Verb
Together, these provide a wealth of data that any neuroscientist would envy — analogous to a perfect map of a person’s brain, along with separate electrodes to monitor the activity of each neuron. Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025 No one to observe the lovers, no one to envy the middle-aged man with the much younger girl taking a romantic (if windy) walk along the beach at Cape May in December. Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for envy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for envy
Noun
  • Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 5 June 2025
  • It can be triggered by stress, fear, anxiety, jealousy, guilt, anger, need…all sorts of things.
    Mary Clements Evans, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • Yet others may resent having to babysit new digital coworkers that could potentially replace them.
    Spencer Dorn, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Trump, who relies on a model of leadership where all power is centralized in himself while dividing his subordinates against themselves, has always resented individuals who try to outmaneuver him.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • But his hatred only a means to an end, and that end his his own glorification.
    Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 8 June 2025
  • When the topic of Clark came up in discussion, Braun was hopeful that the apparent hatred against Clark, and throughout the association and its fans, could come to an end, while siding with Banks.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • Old resentments simmer, new transgressions come to light, and the titular swimming pool plays a critical, climactic part.
    Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo, Footwear News, 26 May 2025
  • On one level, this is not surprising – after all, the people of a country being invaded would be expected to hold some degree of resentment to the invading army.
    Ben Horne, The Conversation, 21 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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