envy

1.verbtransitiveB1

Definition

To experience discontent because another person has a quality, possession, or advantage that you would like for yourself.

Example

Lotte secretly envied her older sister for winning the national piano competition.

envy + noun + for + gerund (reason for envy)

"I really envy your ability to stay calm under pressure," said Ishaan during the presentation.

envy + noun phrase (quality as direct object)

Common collocations

envy someone for
envy someone's success
envy the way
envy (someone) something

Synonyms

resent
stronger, with a bitter or angry tone; implies begrudging the other person's success
covet
more intense and often suggests a desire to take something away; formal or biblical register
grudge
focuses on unwillingness to let the other person have their advantage; less common

Antonyms

celebrate (someone's success)
to feel genuine happiness for another person's good fortune
appreciate
to value what you have without comparing to others

Grammar Patterns

envy + noun phrase

envy + noun + for + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Rarely used in progressive tenses ("I am envying" is non-standard). Common patterns: a person can envy another person for a trait (envy someone for something) or envy the trait itself (envy someone's success).

Common Mistakes

I envy to have her talent.

I envy her talent.

'envy' takes a direct object, not an infinitive.

I am envying your new phone.

I envy your new phone.

Avoid progressive tenses with this verb.

1.nounB1

Definition

An unpleasant emotion that arises when you see someone else's advantage or good fortune and wish you had the same thing yourself.

Example

Rodrigo felt a wave of envy when he saw his friend's newly renovated apartment.

collocation: a wave of envy

Sayaka struggled to hide her envy as her teammate accepted the award on stage.

Common collocations

wave of envy
pangs of envy
green with envy
burn with envy
envy of
feel envy
hide one's envy

Synonyms

jealousy
often used interchangeably but more precisely refers to fear of losing something to a rival, especially in relationships
resentment
a more bitter feeling that the other person does not deserve their advantage
covetousness
formal, often with moral or religious disapproval; intense desire for what belongs to another

Antonyms

contentment
a state of being satisfied with what you have
generosity
the willingness to share your advantages rather than resent others'

Grammar Patterns

envy of + noun phrase

feel/experience envy

be filled with envy

Usage Note

Unlike jealousy (which involves a rival and the fear of losing something), envy is purely about wanting what another person has. Common intensifying phrases: 'green with envy,' 'burning with envy.'

Common Mistakes

I have an envy of her car.

I envy her car' or 'I feel envy when I see her car.

The noun 'envy' is uncountable; do not use 'an envy.'

He was jealous of her new job' (when simply wanting it).

He was envious of her new job

Use 'envious of' for desiring what someone has; 'jealous' implies a rival relationship.

2.nounB2

Definition

Something that many people admire and wish they owned, making its owner feel proud. Almost always used in the fixed phrase 'the envy of [group].'

Example

Isabela's hand-painted ceramic collection is the envy of her entire art class.

be the envy of + group (object of widespread desire)

The town's new public library quickly became the envy of nearby communities.

Common collocations

the envy of
become the envy of
be the envy of

Synonyms

pride
something that makes you feel proud, without the sense of others desiring it
admiration
the object of respect, without the jealous undertone

Antonyms

embarrassment
something that makes you feel ashamed rather than admired

Grammar Patterns

be the envy of + group of people

Usage Note

Only appears in the singular form in the fixed structure 'the envy of [group].' The subject is typically a possession, achievement, or quality — not a person directly — though it can be a person described by their attributes.

Common Mistakes

Her garden is envy of the neighbours.

Her garden is the envy of the neighbours.

The definite article 'the' is required before 'envy' in this structure.

3.nounB2

Definition

Used after a noun to describe a particular possession or attribute of someone that makes other people wish they had that specific thing. Always follows 'the envy of + group.'

Example

Iris's ability to speak three languages fluently was the envy of her classmates.

envy of + group (specific talent as target)

The professor's rare collection of first-edition novels is the envy of scholars nationwide.

Common collocations

the envy of
be the envy of
become the envy of

Grammar Patterns

[possession/quality] + be + the envy of + [group]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 describes something that makes the owner broadly admired overall, while sense 3 points to a specific item or quality that people wish they personally could have.

Idioms

be the envy of somebody/something

idiom

To be admired by others so much that they wish they had what you have.

Sara's new car is the envy of her entire neighborhood.

Min's cooking skills are the envy of all his friends.

Word family

envious
adjectiveB1
enviable
adjectiveB2
enviably
adverbC1
enviously
adverbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Envy, jealousy, and covetousness all involve wanting what someone else has, but they differ in scope and tone. Envy is the broadest term: it is the unhappy feeling that arises when someone else has something — a quality, possession, or advantage — that you lack and desire. Jealousy adds the dimension of rivalry and fear of loss: a jealous person worries that a third party will take away something they already have (especially a relationship). You can envy a friend's new car; you feel jealous if someone flirts with your partner. Covetousness is the most intense and morally loaded — it implies a burning, often material desire for something belonging to another, with an edge of entitlement. In everyday conversation, 'envy' and 'jealousy' are often used interchangeably, but careful speakers reserve 'jealous' for contexts involving competition and 'envious' for contexts of simple desire. For example: 'I envy your cooking skills' (I wish I could cook like you) versus 'I'm jealous of the time you spend with your other friends' (I fear losing your attention).

envy ↗jealousy ↗covetousness

Common collocations

Nouns

wave of envy
pangs of envy
feeling of envy
object of envy
target of envy

Adverbs

secretly envy
quietly envy
openly envy
intensely envy

Phrases

green with envy
the envy of
burn with envy

Prepositions

envy of
envy for

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Envy comes from Old French 'envie,' which itself came from Latin 'invidia' (envy, jealousy). The Latin 'invidia' is built from 'invidere' — a combination of 'in-' (upon) and 'videre' (to see). So the original picture in Latin was of someone 'looking upon' another person's good fortune with a hostile or resentful eye. This root sense of 'looking at someone else and wanting what they have' has stayed remarkably stable through nearly a thousand years of English usage.

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envy

envy — verb

1. To experience discontent because another person has a quality, possession, or ad

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

envy — noun

1. An unpleasant emotion that arises when you see someone else's advantage or good

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. Something that many people admire and wish they owned, making its owner feel pro

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. Used after a noun to describe a particular possession or attribute of someone th

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

be the envy of somebody/something

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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