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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Examples 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
And your capacity to be content with no one knowing speaks to an air of self-assuredness, confidence and mystery that would be the envy of anyone the world over. Zach Przystup, Baltimore Sun, 19 Nov. 2024 Here’s why courtside fans are now looking up in envy. Brett Knight, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Verb
Light fell into the atrium from above in a cathedral-like shower, and the first, second, and third-year students were arranged around it on upper floors with the fourth-years in the well, where they could be observed and envied. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Oct. 2024 While heavy on the carnage, this grindhouse-style horror goes beyond the guts and gore by delivering a masterclass in tension-building and weaving the themes of aging, beauty, and envy into a deeply unnerving tale. Steven Thrash, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for envy 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for envy
Noun
  • Fueled by jealousy and betrayal, Arsenio and Luciano conspire in a ruthless plot to crush him.
    Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 2 Dec. 2024
  • Though Venus will tussle with Pluto and Mars initially on the 7th and 12th (suggesting that this brief personal glow up won’t be without its controversies or jealousies), mid-month looks kind of cute for you.
    Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • White miners, themselves immigrants, had grown to resent Chinese miners.
    Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 26 Nov. 2024
  • And while some whites were grateful to Japanese farmers for driving the town’s economic boom, others resented their success.
    Jake Whitney, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • So Far This is a world where fascism in Oz is taking hold, where fear and hatred is being promoted and the intelligent and wise speaking animals of Oz are having their voices silenced.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
  • What hurts me the most is his hatred for immigrants.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • This week's fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has unleashed a wave of public feeling – exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness – from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants.
    TOM MURPHY and DEVI SHASTRI, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Dec. 2024
  • This week’s fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson has unleashed a wave of public feeling — exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness — from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants.
    Tom Murphy and Devi Shastri, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/envy. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

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