What is the meaning of envy in English?
Matthew Underwood
Updated on April 13, 2026
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
- my envy of his success.
- Their exotic vacations inspired envy in/among their friends.
- We watched with envy as the yacht slid past us.
- They were green with envy. [=they were filled with envy; they were very envious]
- 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- Demonstrate Gratitude in Life – Reading the Psalms and turning them into personal prayers can be a good place to go in the Bible.
- 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.- Shift your focus to the goodness in your life.
- Remind yourself that nobody has it all.
- Avoid people who habitually value the wrong things.
- Spend time with grateful people.
- Understand that marketers routinely fan the flame.
- Celebrate the success of others.
- Be generous.