# envious

/ˈɛnviəs/ (US) · /ˈɛnvɪəs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/envious
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. wanting what others have

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling unhappy because you want something that someone else has.

For teachers: feeling or showing a resentful desire for the advantages, possessions, or luck enjoyed by others.

- She felt envious of her brother when he won a free trip to Hawaii.
- The younger executives were openly envious of his rapid promotion, though they respected the immense effort he had put into the project.

Usage: Usually followed by the preposition 'of' before a noun or pronoun.

Teaching tip: While 'jealous' and 'envious' are often used as synonyms, 'envious' specifically refers to wanting what you don't have, whereas 'jealous' can also mean fearing you will lose what you already have.

### 2. inspiring envy

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary · Formal

describing something so good that other people want it for themselves.

For teachers: arousing or likely to arouse envy in others due to high quality or desirability.

- The company is in the envious position of having no major competitors.
- By the end of the decade, the firm had secured an envious reputation for innovation and employee retention.

Usage: In modern English, 'enviable' is much more common for this meaning; using 'envious' here is a literary choice.

## Examples

- She feels envious of her sister's new car.
- Many people are envious of his ability to travel the world while working from his laptop.
- The young artist was deeply envious of her peer's sudden rise to fame, though she tried to channel that frustration into her own creative output.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.