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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
Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
The person could be experiencing jealousy or may even feel loss about their relationship with you now that a baby is on the way, Kelman says.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 7 Oct. 2025
Married Matt and Amber Barnett overcame a little bit of jealousy and a lot of credit card debt to cultivate a stable relationship.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Three couples take turns renting a Buenos Aires flat to briefly escape their lives, only to spark jealousy, regrets and misunderstandings.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 1 Oct. 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 14 Oct. 2025.
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jealousy
noun
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