: hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage : envious
His success made his old friends jealous.
They were jealous of his success.
2
a
: intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness
jealous of the slightest interference in household management Havelock Ellis
b
: disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness
a jealous husband
3
: vigilant in guarding a possession
new colonies were jealous of their new independence Scott Buchanan
jealouslyadverb
jealousnessnoun
Did you know?
Zealous vs. Jealous
Zealous and jealous share not just a rhyme, but an etymology. Both words ultimately come from the Latin zelus “jealousy,” and in the past their meanings were somewhat closer to each other than they are today. In the 16th and 17th centuries, zealous occasionally was used in biblical writing to refer to a quality of apprehensiveness or jealousy of another. By the 18th century, however, it had completely diverged in meaning from jealous, signifying “warmly engaged or ardent on behalf of someone or something.” Today, zealous often carries a connotation of excessive feeling: it typically means “fiercely partisan” or “uncompromisingly enthusiastic.”
His success has made some of his old friends jealous. She became very jealous whenever he talked to other women. He was in a jealous rage.
Recent Examples on the WebThe sparkle in your eye is so bright, the sun and stars must be jealous. Jamie Ballard, Woman's Day, 12 Sep. 2022 Part of me is jealous—not of her collection, which is, ahem, not to my taste. Serena Dai, Bon Appétit, 2 Sep. 2022 Summers was jealous that Mathewson had started dating other men amid their bitter divorce.Fox News, 26 Aug. 2022 When Putin suddenly leapfrogged Patrushev to become FSB chief, Patrushev was jealous, the person once close to both men said. Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 13 July 2022 The new author sat on a swing at London's Kensington Roof Gardens between children Lourdes, then 6, and Rocco, then 3, and read passages from the book, about school friends who are jealous of another girl. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2022 The other, jealous of his brother’s creations, began to destroy them with a powerful wind. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022 Brooke feeling jealous or second fiddle to a fake celebrity doesn’t have the same power. Danielle Turchiano, Variety, 9 Sep. 2021 Since his ex-girlfriend Charli D'Amelio is now dating Landon Barker, social media is being flooded with theories that Chase may be jealous and written these lyrics to get back at her.Seventeen, 29 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English jelous, from Anglo-French gelus, from Vulgar Latin *zelosus, from Late Latin zelus zeal — more at zeal