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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of envy
Zach Przystup, Baltimore Sun, 19 Nov. 2024
Here’s why courtside fans are now looking up in envy.
—Brett Knight, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 27 Nov. 2024
Whoever controls Arrakis and the planet’s spice-extraction operation automatically becomes one of the wealthiest and most envied families in the Imperium, and also the target of the Fremen, who have been trying to free their planet from its occupiers for generations.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for envy 
Noun
And your capacity to be content with no one knowing speaks to an air of self-assuredness, confidence and mystery that would be the envy of anyone the world over.
—Zach Przystup, Baltimore Sun, 19 Nov. 2024
Here’s why courtside fans are now looking up in envy.
—Brett Knight, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Verb
Out-of-state friends may have wondered how Arizonans handle the summer heat, but on Thanksgiving Day, many Americans will surely envy a desert afternoon on the links or by the pool.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 27 Nov. 2024
Whoever controls Arrakis and the planet’s spice-extraction operation automatically becomes one of the wealthiest and most envied families in the Imperium, and also the target of the Fremen, who have been trying to free their planet from its occupiers for generations.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for envy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for envy
Noun
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Does the actor ever get Elphaba green with jealousy?Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
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Embodying Burroughs’ alter ego and cycling through Lee’s lust, jealousy, world-weariness, neediness, and bliss, Craig cracks this smitten, doomed romantic wide open.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024
Verb
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McCoy resents being put in the position of scaling back care that her patient needs because an insurer is refusing to pay.Annie Waldman, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
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Neither Putin nor Zelensky will be easily coaxed to the table, and Trump might resent the imperative of having to maintain, and even expand, support for Ukraine as a means to force negotiations.Michael McFaul, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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All of the hatred and violence of their relationship all culminated in this moment.Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
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The promise comes several days after a man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson said he was motivated by hatred of that system ‒ a hatred apparently shared by many people who have taken to social media in the days since the Dec. 4 killing.Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This week's fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has unleashed a wave of public feeling – exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness – from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants.TOM MURPHY and DEVI SHASTRI, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Dec. 2024
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This week’s fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson has unleashed a wave of public feeling — exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness — from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants.Tom Murphy and Devi Shastri, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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