envy

[ en-vee ]

See synonyms for: envy envied envying on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural en·vies.

a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc.
an object of such feeling: Her intelligence made her the envy of her classmates.

Obsolete. ill will.

verb (used with object),en·vied, en·vy·ing.

to regard (a person or thing) with envy: She envies you for your success.I envy your writing ability.He envies her the position she has achieved in her profession.

verb (used without object),en·vied, en·vy·ing.

Obsolete. to be affected with envy.

Idioms about envy

green with envy, full of envy; covetous: When my friends saw the enormous rock on my engagement ring, they were all green with envy.

Origin of envy

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun envie, from Old French, from Latin invidia, equivalent to invid(us) “envious” (derivative of invidēre “to envy”) + -ia abstract noun suffix; verb derivative of the noun; see invidious,-y³

synonym study For envy

4. Envy, begrudge, covet refer to one's attitude toward the possessions or attainments of others. To envy is to feel resentful and unhappy because someone else possesses, or has achieved, what one wishes oneself to possess, or to have achieved: to envy the wealthy, a woman's beauty, an honest man's reputation. To begrudge is to be unwilling that another should have the possessions, honors, or credit that person deserves: to begrudge a man a reward for heroism. To covet is to long jealously to possess what someone else possesses: I covet your silverware.

confusables note For envy

1. Envy and jealousy are very close in meaning. Envy denotes a longing to possess something awarded to or achieved by another: to feel envy when a friend inherits a fortune. Jealousy, on the other hand, denotes a feeling of resentment that another has gained something that one more rightfully deserves: to feel jealousy when a coworker receives a promotion. Jealousy also refers to anguish caused by fear of unfaithfulness.

word story For envy

English envy comes from Middle English envie, invie, anvie, which has several meanings: one of the seven deadly sins (its directly opposite virtue is charity); ill will, hatred, enmity, hostility; and (more modern and middle-class) the annoyance and ill will toward others that is prompted by their superior advantages. This unsavory feeling was introduced into English by the French via Old French envie, which means “hostility, hatred, jealousy of another’s advantages,” the same as in Middle English. The French may be envious that Latin invidia not only has all the senses of Old French and Middle English envie, but also an extended, personified sense ( Invidia was the Roman goddess of envy).
Latin invidia is a derivative of the verb invidēre “to look askance at, regard with ill will, be jealous of, cast the evil eye on.” Invidēre is a compound of the preposition and prefix in, in- “in, into, at” and the simple verb vidēre “to see.”

Other words for envy

1	enviousness
4	resent

See synonyms for envy on Thesaurus.com

Other words from envy

en·vy·ing·ly, adverb
un·en·vied, adjective
un·en·vy·ing, adjective
un·en·vy·ing·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with envy

envy , jealousy (see confusables note at the current entry)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use envy in a sentence

New England, the franchise he called home for 20 seasons, had to watch in envy as Brady triumphed with a new squad.
Tom Brady, the one-man dynasty, was Tampa Bay’s perfect missing piece | Jerry Brewer | February 8, 2021 | Washington Post
Spending long periods passively scrolling through social media, for example, is linked to greater feelings of envy and loneliness, and a higher risk of depression.
How to have a better relationship with your tech | Amy Nordrum | February 6, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
The truth is, as with many instances of envy, this strain of green-eyed monster is born of inequity.
The newest curse of covid-19 is vaccine envy | Petula Dvorak | February 4, 2021 | Washington Post
Tinkle, the aspiring wildlands firefighter with the Brown degree, said people often react to her story by expressing envy for her less conventional route to a job.
More people with bachelor’s degrees go back to school to learn skilled trades | Jon Marcus | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
This sparked some envy among the locals, and Friedman started getting requests from neighbors to use his closed-off personal shed.
The Pandemic’s Unlikely Revelation: Closet Offices | Joshua Eferighe | November 17, 2020 | Ozy

Maybe at one point I would have envied these students who grew up in privileged families so often laden with trust funds.
Stepford Sororities: The Pressures of USC’s Greek Life | Maya Richard Craven | November 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
How you envied her, set yourself up in opposition to all that.
Why Does Everyone Hate Lea Michele? | Tim Teeman | October 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
To his peers, he's an all-star eccentric who is pitied or clucked over protectively as often as he is envied.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up | Tom Boswell | September 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As the years passed, I envied women who nonchalantly mentioned their periods as nothing more than a minor irritation.
A New Hysterectomy Procedure Eliminates Massive Scarring and Long Recovery Time. So Why Aren’t More Doctors On Board? | Heather Wilson | March 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
My brother is a professional artist, and I always sort of envied him.
How I Write: David Baldacci | Noah Charney | March 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We never see such horrors now; and I actually envied Pit Town the possession of that picture.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
If Wee Willie Winkie took an interest in anyone, the fortunate man was envied alike by the mess and the rank and file.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard Kipling
He sang bravura airs with a facility of vocalisation any prima donna might have envied.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste Tchaikovsky
She had seen no married happiness that she envied, even where there was a fine measure of love and philosophy.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
Sukey had before envied Catharine the possession of a gold necklace; but that grew dim before the glory of this London gown.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 101, March, 1866 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for envy

envy

/ (ˈɛnvɪ) /

nounplural -vies

a feeling of grudging or somewhat admiring discontent aroused by the possessions, achievements, or qualities of another
the desire to have for oneself something possessed by another; covetousness

an object of envy

verb-vies, -vying or -vied

to be envious of (a person or thing)

Origin of envy

C13: via Old French from Latin invidia, from invidēre to eye maliciously, from in- ² + vidēre to see

Derived forms of envy

envier, noun
envyingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with envy

envy

see green with envy.

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