Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

jealous

/ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.24 in modern English

Syllables: jeal-ous
IPA: /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Suspecting rivalry in love; troubled by worries that one might have been replaced in someone's affections; suspicious of a lover's or spouse's fidelity.

adj

Protective; zealously guarding; careful in the protection of something (or someone) one has or appreciates, especially one's spouse or lover.

adj

Envious; feeling resentful or angered toward someone for a perceived advantage or success, material or otherwise.

adj

Suspicious; apprehensive.

verb

To harass or attack (somebody) out of jealousy.

Slang

verb

To deliberately make (someone) jealous of another person's (often their partner's) associations with other people.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"jealous lover"
"She gave him a jealous look."
"She stopped, and laid her hand upon his golden head, and then bent down and kissed his brow with a chastened abandonment of tenderness that would have been beautiful to behold had not the sight cut me to the heart - for I was jealous!"
"Thou ſhalt not bow downe thy ſelfe to them, nor ſerue them: For I the Lord thy God am a iealous God, viſiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children, vnto the thirde and fourth generation of them that hate me:"
"Soft Simon had reduced himself to the lowest class of Stalkos, or walking gentlemen, as they are termed; men who have nothing to do, and no fortune to support them, but who style themselves esquire; and who […] are jealous of that title, and of their claims to family antiquity."
"be jealous of someone/something"

Etymology

First attested in 1382. From Middle English jelous, gelous, gelus, from Old French jalous, from Late Latin zelosus, from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”). Doublet of zealous.

Origin

Source language: Middle English
First known use: First attested in 1382

Word Breakdown

Root: jelous, jalous, zelosus, ζῆλος

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/
British English: /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

jealouser (comparative) more jealous (comparative) jealousest (superlative) most jealous (superlative) iealous (alternative) jealouses (present, singular) jealousing (participle, present) jealoused (participle, past) jealoused (past)

Derived Forms

hyperjealous jealously jealousness jealousy nonjealous overjealous superjealous unjealous

Phrases

jealous as a Barbary pigeon jealous husbands problem jealous-like

Frequently Paired Words

zeal zealot zealous

Synonyms

covetous envious green-eyed overjealous

Rhymes With

fellas zealous marcellus overzealous trellis pinellas bruxelles belous mcnellis mcnelis ellis hellas

Questions

How do you pronounce jealous?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/.
What does jealous mean?: Suspecting rivalry in love; troubled by worries that one might have been replaced in someone's affections; suspicious of a lover's or spouse's fidelity.
Where does jealous come from?: It is traced to Middle English. First known use: First attested in 1382.

How to pronounce jealous

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