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
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
-
His jealousy provokes an act of betrayal and cruelty.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
18 June 2026
-
Danielle is getting upset over nothing, possibly some jealousy over Amanda and Katie’s longtime relationship.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
And Freddy, of course, resents the hell out of him.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
20 June 2026
-
Kenny would visit every summer, but began to resent the trip and his father’s second family.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
His sophisticated taste and hatred for carbs always brought a little humor to the job.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
-
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, has called for calm, but several far-right personalities in Great Britain and the United States—including Elon Musk—have used the attack to foment hatred against immigrants.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
They are governed by military juntas that staged coups fueled by resentment toward old Western partners and democratic governments.—
Wilson Mcmakin,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Don't Force Participation One of the fastest ways to create resentment is to assume every child, grandchild, and future family member will want to participate in the family foundation.—
Kris Putnam-Walkerly,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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