envy 1 of 2

as in jealousy
a painful awareness of another's possessions or advantages and a desire to have them too their envy of their neighbor's fancy home threatened to wreck their friendship

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envy

2 of 2

verb

as in to resent
to have a resentful awareness of and desire for (another's possessions or advantages) or to feel resentment toward (someone) over possessions or advantages her coworkers envied her chummy relationship with the senior vice president they envied him because he didn't have to work for a living

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of envy
Noun
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham moved into their new ground in April 2019, a state-of-the-art complex that is the envy of other Premier League club owners. Tom Burrows, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025 The services boom that has driven the U.S. economy to be the envy of the world’s markets, led by software, social media and cloud computing, will also be targeted. Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
Many of her neighbors envied her. Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025 Bill 19-25 would elevate councilmanic courtesy from a bad practice to a worse law, giving individual council members absolute power that even Agnew and Anderson would envy. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for envy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for envy
Noun
  • Excessive or early jealousy Jealousy can be a sabotaging behavior and a form of manipulation.
    Christina Pérez, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2025
  • Of course, not every moment of comparison or jealousy is an immediate red flag, Suzanne Degges-White, PhD, LCPC, a licensed counselor and chair of the department of counseling and higher education at the Northern Illinois University College of Education, tells SELF.
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Bethany is a big, flashing signal of gentrification; Uche’s other tenants have every reason to resent her.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 4 Apr. 2025
  • So while other Florida voters are entitled to resent Trump’s meddling, DeSantis doesn’t have a leg to stand on in complaining about it.
    Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In fact, her personal hatred of gripping challenges even served as her Survivor hot take below.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • That ecstatic communal experience is a glorious moment of freedom for oppressed people, most of them living hand-to-mouth in an environment of hatred and exploitation.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Left’s point is to drill home the notion that conservatism is all incoherent and barely stifled rage and resentment and not about ideas, principles, and the values of a moral, free society.
    Doug Ducey, National Review, 14 Apr. 2025
  • This boundary-crossing behavior systematically erodes a couple’s autonomy, breeding resentment and powerlessness that can eventually culminate in divorce.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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