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
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
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
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
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Here’s Why The teenager asked Reddit readers for their perspective on her feelings of jealousy.—
Erica Gerald Mason,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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Step Two: Identify the feeling Material jealousy often appears in toddlerhood.—
Jenna Autuori-Dedic,
Parents,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Viv takes part in a counseling group but resents having to share her story about her husband’s illness when pressed to do so by another member, Janet (Omi, making a lasting impression in a small role).—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2025
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Communicate healthy expectations Demanding that your child earn certain grades and reach certain notable achievements can backfire: Your kid may grow to resent you, or become too much of a mentally unhealthy perfectionist, said Stixrud.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness and truth over falsehood.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr.,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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While highlighting the vicious cycle of ethnic hatred, Gavin strives for impartiality.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In Ukraine, memories of Russia’s annexation are fresh and resentments run high, leaving the country’s president few choices on the latest American peace plan.—
Maria Varenikova Brendan Hoffman Luke Broadwater David E. Sanger,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Yet, rather than letting resentment dictate the narrative, there are ways to turn this difficult relationship into a source of professional growth.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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