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Jealousy vs. Envy
Depending on who you ask, jealousy and envy are either exact synonyms, totally different words, or near-synonyms with some degree of semantic overlap and some differences. It is difficult to make the case, based on the evidence of usage that we have, for either of the first two possibilities. Both jealousy and envy are often used to indicate that a person is covetous of something that someone else has, but jealousy carries the particular sense of “zealous vigilance” and tends to be applied more exclusively to feelings of protectiveness regarding one’s own advantages or attachments. In the domain of romance, it is more commonly found than envy. If you were to say “your salt-shaker collection fills me with jealousy,” most people would take it to mean much the same thing as “your salt-shaker collection fills me with envy.” But if someone made a flirtatious comment to your partner, you would likely say that it caused you jealousy, not envy.
Examples of jealousy in a Sentence
Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 Feb. 2025
According to the post, the two women have had a difficult history, with issues stemming from her 27-year-old stepsister's apparent jealousy.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
Nothing inflamed Catherine’s jealousy more than her sister’s wardrobe.
—Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025
This one stinks to high heaven for sneaking anger, self-pity, and jealousy under the guise of being a pseudo-compliment.
—John Bowe, Contributor, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Jealousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jealousy. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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jealousy
noun
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