jealous

adjective

jeal·​ous ˈje-ləs How to pronounce jealous (audio)
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 managementHavelock Ellis
b
: disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness
a jealous husband
3
: vigilant in guarding a possession
new colonies were jealous of their new independenceScott Buchanan
jealously adverb
jealousness noun

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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.”

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 Naturally, the pilot flies Keith and Joan over the mansion to make the guys — who are all hanging out in the pool — annoyed and jealous. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 17 Oct. 2024 None of us is proud of feeling jealous, but most of us have experienced a twinge at one time or another. Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 5 Oct. 2024 Mary was a smart, strong-willed young woman facing monumental challenges: overcoming social stigma, evading a jealous king, and bearing the weight of a world-changing destiny. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2024 Soon, the jealous Bruce and envious Ida take notice and the timers on Terry’s life and Vincent’s enterprise start ticking. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for jealous 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jealous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of jealous was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near jealous

Cite this Entry

“Jealous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jealous. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

jealous

adjective
jeal·​ous ˈjel-əs How to pronounce jealous (audio)
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
jealously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on jealous

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