envy
n. uncountablen. the unhappy feeling you get when you want something that someone else has. It is like being jealous of another person's success or belongings.
n. a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck. Often used to describe one of the seven deadly sins in a literary context.
He watched his friend's new car with envy.
She felt a sharp pang of envy when she saw her colleague's name on the promotion list.
While healthy competition can drive personal growth, deep-seated envy often results in a bitter preoccupation with the achievements of others rather than the cultivation of one's own talents.
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.
Commonly follows the verbs 'feel', 'hide', or 'arouse'; often takes the preposition 'of' when directed at a person or object.
I have envy of his jobI envy his jobWhile 'envy' is a noun, learners often translate directly from languages where one 'has envy'; in English, it is more natural to use 'envy' as a verb or say 'I feel envy'.