green-eyed monster

See synonyms for green-eyed monster on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. jealousy: Othello fell under the sway of the green-eyed monster.

Origin of green-eyed monster

1
First recorded in 1595–1605

Words Nearby green-eyed monster

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use green-eyed monster in a sentence

  • Ah, sweet wife, never let the green-eyed monster trouble the peace of your heart!

    The Purple Land | W. H. Hudson

Other Idioms and Phrases with green-eyed monster

green-eyed monster

Jealousy, as in Bella knew that her husband sometimes succumbed to the green-eyed monster. This expression was coined by Shakespeare in Othello (3:3), where Iago says: “O! beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” It is thought to allude to cats, often green-eyed, who tease their prey. Also see green with envy.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.