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Jealousy vs. Envy
Depending on who you ask, jealousy and envy are either exact synonyms, totally different words, or near-synonyms with some degree of semantic overlap and some differences. It is difficult to make the case, based on the evidence of usage that we have, for either of the first two possibilities. Both jealousy and envy are often used to indicate that a person is covetous of something that someone else has, but jealousy carries the particular sense of “zealous vigilance” and tends to be applied more exclusively to feelings of protectiveness regarding one’s own advantages or attachments. In the domain of romance, it is more commonly found than envy. If you were to say “your salt-shaker collection fills me with jealousy,” most people would take it to mean much the same thing as “your salt-shaker collection fills me with envy.” But if someone made a flirtatious comment to your partner, you would likely say that it caused you jealousy, not envy.
Examples of jealousy in a Sentence
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 23 May 2025
The jealousy that Angel Reese has towards her and has consistently shown makes Caitlin fans hate her.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2025
For the past two days, Ventura has been cross examined by Combs' attorneys, who have sought to show how the two shared a loving, albeit turbulent, relationship, filled with jealousy.
—Danielle Bacher, People.com, 16 May 2025
The defense acknowledged Combs' history of jealousy and violent outbursts but denied any involvement in trafficking.
—Amanda Castro
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for jealousy
Cite this Entry
“Jealousy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jealousy. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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jealousy
noun
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