envious

adjective

en·​vi·​ous ˈen-vē-əs How to pronounce envious (audio)
1
: feeling or showing envy
envious of their neighbor's new car
envious looks
2
archaic
a
b
enviously adverb
enviousness noun

Examples of envious in a Sentence

a family that is envious of their neighbors' big house
Recent Examples on the Web And hope that business would fully rebound once restrictions ended a year ago has vanished, with China’s once envious economic growth stuttering. Marlon Sorto, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024 Most school districts in the Bay Area would be envious. Mercury News Editorial, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for envious 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'envious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of envious was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near envious

Cite this Entry

“Envious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/envious. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

envious

adjective
en·​vi·​ous ˈen-vē-əs How to pronounce envious (audio)
: feeling or showing envy
envious of a neighbor's good luck
an envious look
enviously adverb
enviousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on envious

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!