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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
Hannah Sacks, People.com, 23 July 2025
My Beanie Baby-collecting younger self is beside herself with jealousy… but the Pop Mart founder, Wang Ning, is laughing all the way to the bank.
—Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
However, jealousy soon sets in after Hagar gives birth to Ishmael (from whose lineage the Islamic religion traces its roots).
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 July 2025
The beginning of the six-week experiment felt like any other season packed with attractive singles, steamy conversations, jealousy and challenges that remind you why this show isn’t on cable.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for jealousy
Cite this Entry
“Jealousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jealousy. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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jealousy
noun
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