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.
Noun my envy of his success Their exotic vacations inspired envy in their friends. We watched with envy as the yacht slid past us. Verb I envy you for your large group of friends. I envy the way you've made so many friends.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
China managing positive growth in 2020 was the envy of the world then, but today other economies are less vulnerable to the virus. Paul Swartz, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2022 In the primary, Trump’s endorsement and the boost from a rally with him were the envy of all. Isaac Arnsdorf, Michael Scherer And Josh Dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2022 Ostin helped steer Warner/Reprise into a powerhouse that was the envy of the record world. Robert Hilburn, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2022 Be the envy of all the other kids down at the pool.al, 27 July 2022 Based on our research, a key factor linking virtue and positive mental health appears to be growth in emotion regulation, such as learning skills in mindfulness and processing complicated emotions such as shame, envy or pride. Steven Sandage, The Conversation, 22 Feb. 2022 This outlook insulates them from feelings of envy or greed that could otherwise sabotage co-working relationships during periods of high stress. Roberta Moore, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2022 Parents also need to pay close attention to any offline risks their adolescents are exhibiting, such as excessive peer envy or depression, because those things often overlap with problematic social media use.Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2021 Whether out of hope, envy or morbid curiosity — like spectators hoping to see one of his rockets go down in a fiery blast — China cannot get enough of Mr. Musk.New York Times, 11 Mar. 2021
Verb
Automakers envy Tesla's surging popularity and are trying to replicate its success. The Week Staff, The Week, 3 Sep. 2022 Through decades on television, Lake, 52, built a statewide profile that many veteran politicians would envy. Melanie Mason, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2022 The online eulogy for Choco Tacos has been something even the most beloved statesman or actor would envy. Chris Morris, Fortune, 29 July 2022 It's also filled with vibrant clothing, cementing it as a closet Barbie would surely envy. Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 19 July 2022 Nationally, the skateboarding world is about to envy Birmingham, Alabama. Joseph Goodman, al, 17 June 2022 Musk, of course, isn’t the first entrepreneur to envy the power of WeChat, which is owned by the Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent. Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 17 June 2022 As a kid growing up in the early 2000s, Neena Rouhani used to envy the women who could wear belly chains and scarf tops popular at the time. Frances Solá-santiago, refinery29.com, 12 Jan. 2022 Artists bound by agreements with their labels may envy this freedom, but some, including Halsey, don’t seem to have been barred from saying as much. Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 25 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English envie, from Anglo-French, from Latin invidia, from invidus envious, from invidēre to look askance at, envy, from in- + vidēre to see — more at wit