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Jealousy vs. Envy
Depending on who you ask, jealousy and envy are either exact synonyms, totally different words, or near-synonyms with some degree of semantic overlap and some differences. It is difficult to make the case, based on the evidence of usage that we have, for either of the first two possibilities. Both jealousy and envy are often used to indicate that a person is covetous of something that someone else has, but jealousy carries the particular sense of “zealous vigilance” and tends to be applied more exclusively to feelings of protectiveness regarding one’s own advantages or attachments. In the domain of romance, it is more commonly found than envy. If you were to say “your salt-shaker collection fills me with jealousy,” most people would take it to mean much the same thing as “your salt-shaker collection fills me with envy.” But if someone made a flirtatious comment to your partner, you would likely say that it caused you jealousy, not envy.
Examples of jealousy in a Sentence
Brianne Tracy, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Venus in Aries harmonizes with Pluto in Aquarius, creating power dynamics and jealousy in partnerships.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 28 Apr. 2025
This match presented a storyline involving manager Miss Elizabeth and jealousy between both competitors.
—Mark Lasota, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Whether writing about accidentally coming out as gay to his music teacher, learning French as a 41-year-old or feeling crushing jealousy for his artistically gifted sister, Sedaris approaches every new experience with a wide-eyed curiosity.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jealousy
Cite this Entry
“Jealousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jealousy. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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jealousy
noun
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