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The Daily Insight

What is the meaning of envy in English?

Author

Matthew Underwood

Updated on April 13, 2026

Envy denotes a longing to possess something awarded to or achieved by another: to feel envy when a friend inherits a fortune. Jealousy, on the other hand, denotes a feeling of resentment that another has gained something that one more rightfully deserves: to feel jealousy when a coworker receives a promotion.

Also, what is the full meaning of envy?

1 : painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage. 2 obsolete : malice. 3 : an object of envious notice or feeling his new car made him the envy of his friends.

Also, is envy good or bad? Benign envy can sound a lot like admiration. The difference is that, while admiration feels good, envy is painful. By contrast, if they felt benign envy they worked harder. Benign envy may be unpleasant, but it's a driver of change for the better.

Keeping this in view, what is an example of envy?

An example of envy is to desire a best friend's new job. The definition of envy is feeling jealous. An example of envy is the strong desire for a friend's brand new car.

How do you use envy?

1

  1. my envy of his success.
  2. Their exotic vacations inspired envy in/among their friends.
  3. We watched with envy as the yacht slid past us.
  4. They were green with envy. [=they were filled with envy; they were very envious]
  5. Her beautiful hair was an object of envy. [=people felt envy because of her beautiful hair]

Related Question Answers

What is the cause of envy?

Envy is a complex cluster of feelings that stems from a very basic desire: You want what you believe someone else has. According to Buunk et al. (2012), envy is a response to another person who has success, skills, or qualities that we desire, and it involves feeling a lack in comparison to that person.

How do you explain envy?

What does envy mean? Envy is a mostly negative feeling of desire for something that someone else has and you do not. Envy is not a good feeling—it can be described as a mix of admiration and discontent. But it's not necessarily malicious.

Is jealousy and envy the same?

Envy means discontented longing for someone else's advantages. Jealousy means unpleasant suspicion, or apprehension of rivalship. Envy is most often used to refer to a covetous feeling toward another person's attributes, possessions, or stature in life. Many people use jealous to mean the same thing.

What is the biblical definition of envy?

"Envy," on the other hand, is more like "want" and "desire" than "zeal." It's sometimes considered a "nice" word for "jealousy." The Biblical sin, though, is "envy," not "jealousy": When you "covet thy neighbor's wife," you are resentful that your neighbor has her, and you don't.

How do you respond to envy you?

If anybody envies you, the best way to respond is to show them what you've gone through…and choose something terrible you ever went through, be happy as you recount the experience…. draw a lesson for them at the end and remind them not to envy someone else.

How do I overcome envy in the Bible?

Christian counselor: How to avoid jealousy and envy
  1. Demonstrate Gratitude in Life – Reading the Psalms and turning them into personal prayers can be a good place to go in the Bible.
  2. Avoid Activities that Encourage Comparison – Minimize your time around negative people, social media, and places that involve gossip/drama related talk.

Is envy an emotion?

Envy (from Latin invidia) is an emotion which "occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it".

How do you stop envy?

Here's how to stop being jealous.
  1. Shift your focus to the goodness in your life.
  2. Remind yourself that nobody has it all.
  3. Avoid people who habitually value the wrong things.
  4. Spend time with grateful people.
  5. Understand that marketers routinely fan the flame.
  6. Celebrate the success of others.
  7. Be generous.

Why is envy so bad?

Further, envy is so harmful to the envious because it encourages them to believe that what they lack in comparison to others accounts for their relative unhappiness. It, envy, puts happiness outside of the control of the individual which — unfortunately for the envious — makes it unreachable.

What is an example of jealousy?

The definition of jealous is disliking when someone wants something you have. An example of jealous is a husband who dislikes other men looking at his wife. Envious or resentful of the good fortune or achievements of another. Her new boyfriend was jealous of her male friends.

What does I envy you mean?

Envy is when you want what someone else has, but jealousy is when you're worried someone's trying to take what you have. If you want your neighbor's new convertible, you feel envy. Envy can be used as a noun or as a verb: Envy (noun) is the feeling you have when you envy (verb) what someone else has.

What does an envious person do?

Envy generally involves two people. The envious person may deeply want what the other person has, and feels frustrated at not being able to have it. By denigrating the thing that makes them feel 'less than', the envious person can make the other feel bad, so they can ultimately begin to feel 'more than'.

Is it wrong to envy others?

Both jealousy and envy are natural emotions. When either of these emotions consumes you and you react unreasonably instead of consciously, then the emotions can lead to bad results. People do harmful things when in a "jealous rage." They end important relationships with those they envy.

What is the effect of envy?

Envy can be a destructive emotion both mentally and physically. Envious people tend to feel hostile, resentful, angry and irritable. Envy is also related to depression, anxiety, the development of prejudice, and personal unhappiness. Not surprisingly, these negative mental states can impact physical health.

Is feeling envy normal?

Envy is one of the “forbidden” emotions. We all experience feeling envy from time to time (I certainly do), but we're unlikely to admit it—even to ourselves, let alone to other people. This is because envy isn't an acceptable emotion in our culture. But the reality is we can feel those things and also feel envious.

How can envy be positive?

Envy speaks to us in subtle ways, it can nudge us to do things and to explore parts of ourselves and the world. It's a natural part of how we interact with life. It directs our attention and shows us what we want to focus on. Envy can inspire us to positively change habits and priorities.

How do celebrities not envy?

Complimenting others can also help to reduce your feelings of envy. If you envy celebrities who receive a lot of positive attention from the people around them, try spreading positivity to the people around you. Small compliments to your friends and family can mean a world of difference, both to them and to yourself.

What is the opposite of envy?

Opposite of a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck. generosity. comfort. confidence. contentedness.

What's another word for envy?

In this page you can discover 72 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for envy, like: jealousy, longing, jealous competition, enviousness, invidia (Latin), bad sportsmanship, lusting after another's goods, desiring, begrudging, pleasure and begrudge.

What does I don't envy you mean?

We use this expression to talk about another person's life situation or work situation and to say that we don't like one part of their life or work situation. And we often use the phrase to show that we don't approve of the situation that they are in.

What is envy in the seven deadly sins?

Envy (Latin: invidia), like greed and lust, is characterized by an insatiable desire. It can be described as a sad or resentful covetousness towards the traits or possessions of someone else. It arises from vainglory, and severs a man from his neighbor.