jealous

adjective

jeal·​ous ˈje-ləs 

1

: hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage : envious

His success made his old friends jealous.

They were jealous of his success.

2

a

: intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness

jealous of the slightest interference in household management

—Havelock Ellis

b

: disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness

a jealous husband

3

: vigilant in guarding a possession

new colonies were jealous of their new independence

—Scott Buchanan

jealously adverb

jealousness noun

Did you know?

Zealous vs. Jealous

Zealous and jealous share not just a rhyme, but an etymology. Both words ultimately come from the Latin zelus “jealousy,” and in the past their meanings were somewhat closer to each other than they are today. In the 16th and 17th centuries, zealous occasionally was used in biblical writing to refer to a quality of apprehensiveness or jealousy of another. By the 18th century, however, it had completely diverged in meaning from jealous, signifying “warmly engaged or ardent on behalf of someone or something.” Today, zealous often carries a connotation of excessive feeling: it typically means “fiercely partisan” or “uncompromisingly enthusiastic.”

Synonyms

• possessive

Examples of jealous in a Sentence

His success has made some of his old friends jealous.

She became very jealous whenever he talked to other women.

He was in a jealous rage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Dr Carlo Siracusa, associate professor of clinical behavior medicine at University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, told the AKC that a male dog could injure the pups in play even be jealous of the litter. —Rachael O'Connor, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025

There are the Prayer Pods, a Jesse brainchild that are promptly abused by users; a jealous capuchin monkey named Dr. Watson who helps Judy's husband, BJ (Tim Baltz), recover from a pole dancing accident; and a water skiing scene with Goggins that doesn’t feature any clothing. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025

The jealous person may constantly accuse their partner, demand reassurance and try to control them. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025

Julianna Margulies plays Eve’s sister Maggie, the more prolific and successful half of a two-novelist household with older husband Nick (Campbell Scott), whose writer’s block and mopey, jealous mood has begun to sap the joy from her success. —Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English jelous, from Anglo-French gelus, from Vulgar Latin *zelosus, from Late Latin zelus zeal — more at zeal

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for jealous

• bellis
• felis
• fellas
• pelisse
• trellis
• zealous
• michaelis
• nucellus
• ocellus
• overzealous

Kids Definition

jealous

adjective

jeal·​ous ˈjel-əs 

1

: demanding complete devotion

2

: feeling mean resentment toward a rival or competitor

3

: fearful of the loss of a loved one's devotion

4

: watchful, careful

jealously adverb