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
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
George R. Boggs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2025
Her effortlessly dewy glow is the subject of envy and inspiration for fanart and makeup tutorials.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
By train or even by bike from Avignon, head to the Friday market in Carpentras (8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) to watch truffles sell for prices that crypto-bros might envy.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for envy
Noun
American higher education is the envy of the world.
—George R. Boggs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2025
Her effortlessly dewy glow is the subject of envy and inspiration for fanart and makeup tutorials.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
That’s a streak of definite interest figures that any studio can envy.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
By train or even by bike from Avignon, head to the Friday market in Carpentras (8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) to watch truffles sell for prices that crypto-bros might envy.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for envy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for envy
Noun
-
Initially, attention falls on Sutton’s ex-boyfriend Billy, especially after Joel learns that Billy kissed Jenna, his sister, on the night of Sutton’s death to provoke jealousy.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The feeling to watch out for is jealousy.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And no one resents that more than kids, particularly kids old enough to understand what’s happening.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Resorting to an omnibus is now common, even though it is reviled by many rank-and-file lawmakers who resent being deprived of the ability to resist individual spending provisions without derailing the sole vehicle for averting a shutdown.—
Lazaro Gamio,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The endorsement comes as Cuomo has lobbed increasingly caustic attacks on Mamdani, equating his criticism of Israel with antisemitism and warning of a city beset by crime, hatred and disorder if his opponent wins.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield hasn't been shy about his hatred of the rival NFL franchise.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Over the years, resentment built up as his father brushed off his attempts to talk about the situation.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Ignoring your needs only builds quiet resentment later.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share