jaundiced

adjective

jaun·​diced ˈjȯn-dəst 

ˈjän-

1

: affected with or as if with jaundice

2

: exhibiting or influenced by envy, distaste, or hostility

a jaundiced eye

Did you know?

Cast not a jaundiced eye on the word jaundiced—and by that we mean this: don’t dislike or distrust jaundiced because of past experiences with the word or with others like it. Jaundiced is handy for describing the grumps among us who tend toward envy, aversion, or hostility, and who doesn’t know a few of those? This useful 17th century adjective comes from an also-useful 14th century noun jaundice that still refers to a medical condition in which excess bile pigments in the bloodstream and body tissues cause a person’s skin to turn yellow. The connection between the physical condition and the bad attitude lies in the physiological theory of the bodily humors, which holds that a hostile, irritable temperament is caused by excess yellow bile in one’s body.

Synonyms

• covetous
• envious
• green-eyed
• invidious
• jealous
• resentful

Examples of jaundiced in a Sentence

She has a very jaundiced view of politics and politicians.

took a jaundiced view of his opponent's triumphs on the tennis court

Recent Examples on the Web

The second is that people’s feelings about the economy reflect their political leanings: Many Republicans, disregarding their own strong personal finances, have a jaundiced view of the economy under Democratic President Biden. —Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

The disorder makes patients jaundiced, feverish, and dangerously low on vitamins crucial for a healthy pregnancy. —Zoya Teirstein, Vox, 30 May 2024

These jaundiced jokesters may have oversaturated the market, but that’s not their fault. —Vulture Editors, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2024

Last year, doctors in the Netherlands reported the case of an 18-year-old with jaundiced, bloody eyes, who had developed leptospirosis after falling into a canal that was likely contaminated with rodent urine. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

jaundiced

adjective

jaun·​diced ˈjȯn-dəst 

1

: affected with or as if with jaundice

2

: showing or influenced by envy, dislike, or hostility

a jaundiced eye

Medical Definition

jaundiced

adjective

jaun·​diced -dəst 

: affected with jaundice

a deeply jaundiced patient