envy
Americannoun
-
envies
plural
-
a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc.
- Synonyms:
- enviousness
-
an object of such feeling.
Her intelligence made her the envy of her classmates.
-
Obsolete. ill will.
verb (used with object)
-
envies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
envied,
past participle, past
-
envying
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
envies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
envied,
past participle, past
-
envying
present participle
idioms
noun
-
a feeling of grudging or somewhat admiring discontent aroused by the possessions, achievements, or qualities of another
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the desire to have for oneself something possessed by another; covetousness
-
an object of envy
verb
Usage
What does envy mean? Envy is a mostly negative feeling of desire for something that someone else has and you do not. Envy is not a good feeling—it can be described as a mix of admiration and discontent. But it’s not necessarily malicious. Envy is very similar in meaning to jealousy. However, jealousy usually implies a deeper resentment, perhaps because you feel that you deserve the thing more than the other person, or that it is unfair that they have it. Envy is also a verb meaning to have feelings of envy toward someone. It is always followed by the person or thing that’s envied, as in I must admit that I envy her talent. As a noun, it can also be used to refer to the object of envy, as in She was the envy of the entire office after getting the promotion. Someone who envies another person can be described as envious, as in I was envious of him and his popularity. Someone who’s very envious is said to be green with envy. Things that produce envy in others can be described as enviable, as in It’s an enviable position, with a lot of perks. Example: Other people’s perfectly curated social media feeds often cause us to feel envy, but we need to keep in mind that they don’t show the whole story of what someone’s life is like—only the highlights.
Commonly Confused
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.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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envysimple
-
enviessimple
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have enviedperfect
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has enviedperfect
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am envyingprogressive
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are envyingprogressive
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is envyingprogressive
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have been envyingperfect progressive
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has been envyingperfect progressive
Past
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enviedsimple
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had enviedperfect
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was envyingprogressive
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were envyingprogressive
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had been envyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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, -y 3 ( def. )
Explanation
Wanting what someone else has and resenting them for having it is envy. If your best friend comes to school with the silver backpack you’d had your eye on all summer, you want to be happy for her, instead you feel bitter envy. Envy comes from the Latin word invidere, which literally means “look upon.” You know when you say something funny or smart and someone gives you the evil eye? Envy all the way. Envy can be used as a noun or as a verb: Envy (noun) is the feeling you have when you envy (verb) what someone else has.
Vocabulary lists containing envy
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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Common Senses: Vid, Vis ("See")
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"The Gift of the Magi"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Their ingenuity and creativity are the envy of the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
We must look like the type of couple that would inspire envy, not one in the process of saying goodbye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
A fifth-generation farmer in an area with agricultural soil that is the envy of the world, Yerxa is facing a hurdle during this fall’s harvest that he didn’t see coming.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
After a slow start as the then-35-year-old with no prior managerial experience found his bearings, Chandler built a talented team which became the envy of non-league football nationwide.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
“Well, I don’t envy you, Freddie,” remarked the Earl of Maytag, after a pause.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Maybe it’s not just that he envies their absolute power on the home front or their unabashedly lavish palaces.
From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2026
It’s also necessary to limit distortions to private-sector behavior, since private capital and competitive incentives drive the kind of innovation and financial firepower the rest of the world envies.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Sam, now 25, says he envies those who do want to become parents because the experience "clearly has" beauty and love in it.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
If your social-worker friend envies your designer clothes, you don’t have to ditch your Prada for rags, but it’s probably better not to festoon your outfit with your biggest diamond.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
“Tata Ndu has a very hard job. He needs a lot of wives. But don’t be so sure everyone envies him. I myself do not want his job.”
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
The 67-year-old breast cancer survivor, who consults on sustainable textiles and runs a small farmers market, would never have her own property sprayed with pesticides, but admits to having envied neighbors who did.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Perhaps the market shoppers I envied had simply made a few decisions before everything started charming them.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
But as people who shared the experience of being “mocked and feared, blamed and banished, envied and imitated,” often allied, sometimes antagonists, theirs is a special case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
And at that moment I remembered an older friend no longer with us whom I’d always envied because, as a boy, he’d go to Yankee Stadium and see Joe DiMaggio play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
Without copying anyone else, she had invented her own curious personality, which I envied even more than her artistic ability.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
It’s during the voice-over when Henry recalls as a boy envying the wiseguys who hung out at the pizza parlor and taxi stand across the street from his home.
From New York Times ● May 26, 2022
Instead of envying parts of the country that will be legally allowed to mix on Christmas Day, she thought London’s Covid restrictions had been comparatively looser for the most part of the year.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 20, 2020
And I wished them well, not envying the uphill battle they were undertaking in a ruthless industry that probably cared little for sitter issues or parent-teacher conferences.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 3, 2020
“You shouldn’t be envying those other people,” Siegel says of my depression over lacking a social bubble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2020
I remember the lean grace of his movements in a track suit and I remember envying his smooth and perfect timing.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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