envy
/ˈɛnvi/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.84 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Resentful desire of something possessed by another or others (but not limited to material possessions).
Countable; Uncountable
verb
To feel displeasure or hatred towards (someone) for their good fortune or possessions.
Transitive verb
verb
To resentfully or discontentedly desire (something someone else has that one lacks).
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "No bliss enjoyed by us excites his envy more."
- "Envy, to which the ignoble mind's a slave, Is emulation in the learned or brave."
- "distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour."
- "Theodorus assures Socrates that no envy will prevent the Stranger from responding"
- "This constitution in former days used to be the envy of the world[.]"
- "Blacke Foryst of Despayr, taking photos of the band Put 'em up on Myspace you're the envy of the land"
Etymology
Etymology tree Old French enviebor. Middle English envie English envy From Middle English envie, from Old French envie, from Latin invidia (“envy”), from invidere (“to look at with malice”), from in- (“on, upon”) + videre (“to look, see”). Doublet of envie. Cognate to Proto-Slavic *zavistь (“envy”). Displaced native Old English æfest and Old English nīþ.