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
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of envy
Mark Dent, HubSpot, 16 May 2025
Photo: Nick Mele The flattering press provoked envy within the gilded cage that is cliquey, gay South Florida.
—Ben Widdicombe, Vulture, 12 May 2025
Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
No one to observe the lovers, no one to envy the middle-aged man with the much younger girl taking a romantic (if windy) walk along the beach at Cape May in December.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for envy
Noun
Millionaires once had a rarefied mystique, inspiring curiosity and causing envy among everyday Americans who dreamed of financial independence.
—Mark Dent, HubSpot, 16 May 2025
Photo: Nick Mele The flattering press provoked envy within the gilded cage that is cliquey, gay South Florida.
—Ben Widdicombe, Vulture, 12 May 2025
Verb
Together, these provide a wealth of data that any neuroscientist would envy — analogous to a perfect map of a person’s brain, along with separate electrodes to monitor the activity of each neuron.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
No one to observe the lovers, no one to envy the middle-aged man with the much younger girl taking a romantic (if windy) walk along the beach at Cape May in December.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for envy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for envy
Noun
-
Chloë Sevigny plays Anne, whose arrival at the family’s holiday villa on the French Riviera sets in motion a deadly cycle of jealousy and retribution.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
23 May 2025
-
The jealousy that Angel Reese has towards her and has consistently shown makes Caitlin fans hate her.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
People might temporarily resent necessary difficult decisions, but will permanently lose faith in leaders who lack the courage to do what's right.—
Nirmal Chhabria,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
-
Trump plainly resents the sentiment underlying the acronym.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
No more tolerance of hatred, no more mercy for criminals.—
Sarah Beth Hensley,
ABC News,
28 May 2025
-
Antisemitism, hatred and terrorism must be stopped, lest our civilization fall into the abyss.—
Diane Gensler,
Baltimore Sun,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
Old resentments simmer, new transgressions come to light, and the titular swimming pool plays a critical, climactic part.—
Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo,
Footwear News,
26 May 2025
-
The relationship between writer and editor is fractious, tender, and ever-changing, with resentments and gratitude sloshing back and forth like a rooftop pool during an earthquake.—
Isle McElroy,
Vulture,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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