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
Superman's foil comes in Hoult's Lex Luthor, a man proudly consumed by envy, who, as Lois deduces, wants to be king (who said comic book allegory needed to be subtle?). Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 July 2025 How do envy, desire and personal ambition factor into the equation? Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 July 2025
Verb
Billionaire tech bro Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) envies his power and popularity, and reveals something about Superman that turns the public against him. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 July 2025 The bill’s passage through Congress, regardless of the hurdles along the way, displays Trump’s influence over the Republican Party that many of his predecessors would have envied. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 4 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for envy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for envy
Noun
  • Speaking of her village, a month earlier, the reality star opened up about how close her family is, revealing that there is some amount of jealousy between her daughter and her cousins.
    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
Verb
  • No matter how much American Presidents have come to resent Netanyahu—Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump have all had their moments of fury with him—none have doubted the presence or the peril of the Iranian nuclear program.
    David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
  • Sophie and Margo’s new connection is condoned by Jed, who likes to share his wife’s playthings, and resented by Callie (Jaime Ray Newman), Margo’s bestie and current sidepiece.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 20 July 2025
Noun
  • Many were subjected to many forms of hatred spawned from these misunderstandings.
    Meredith Kile, People.com, 21 July 2025
  • Despite his extensive progressive bona fides, Wertham’s hatred of the comics medium has forever branded him a right-wing zealot in the minds of comic fans.
    Vasilis K. Pozios, HollywoodReporter, 18 July 2025
Noun
  • Your job should challenge you—not drain you to the point of resentment.
    Sherry Taylor, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
  • Bing had complained of harassment and left behind a manifesto filled with resentment.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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