envious

adjective

en·​vi·​ous ˈen-vē-əs How to pronounce envious (audio)
1
: feeling or showing envy
envious of their neighbor's new car
envious looks
2
archaic
a
b
enviously adverb
enviousness noun

Examples of envious in a Sentence

a family that is envious of their neighbors' big house
Recent Examples on the Web Most school districts in the Bay Area would be envious. Mercury News Editorial, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 People can be envious, especially of the attractive, high-profile wives and girlfriends of their favorite male sports stars. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024 The Orioles won 101 games last year with a core of young players that could make any franchise envious. Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2024 Few among Harvard’s elite have a life story that would make Dickens envious and horrified at the same time. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 11 Jan. 2024 You certainly were not supposed to be envious of others who had them. Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 In games against Maryland last season, head coach Ben Johnson was envious of the Terps’ depth. Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024 Any parent can artificially generate a perfectly realistic image of their happy family standing in front of the Eiffel Tower and post it or email it to envious friends. Michael Rogers, Twin Cities, 14 Jan. 2024 But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can’t say no—something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near envious

Cite this Entry

“Envious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/envious. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

envious

adjective
en·​vi·​ous ˈen-vē-əs How to pronounce envious (audio)
: feeling or showing envy
envious of a neighbor's good luck
an envious look
enviously adverb
enviousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on envious

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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