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
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His jealousy provokes an act of betrayal and cruelty.
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Danielle is getting upset over nothing, possibly some jealousy over Amanda and Katie’s longtime relationship.
Verb
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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
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Police investigations showed that the pair are suspected of displaying seditious items and selling publications with seditious content inside the shop, including materials inciting hatred against the city's government, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, the government said.
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Not drinking seemed to me synonymous with a hatred of pleasure, a fascist quest for purity.
Noun
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They are governed by military juntas that staged coups fueled by resentment toward old Western partners and democratic governments.
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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.
Cite this Entry
“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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