jealous — feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈdʒeləs/
Example Sentences
- I'm so jealous of people who can eat pizza without gaining weight!
- My cat gets jealous when I pet other animals.
- She was jealous of her sister's academic success.
jealous
ADJECTIVE[/ˈdʒeləs/]
feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages
The boy felt jealous when his friend won the art contest.
“Gee, a lot!” the boy said jealously when his friend received many prizes. (JEALOUS → “GEE, A LOT!” → someone else gets a lot, and you feel jealous)
The jealous student became zealous about practicing and created a marvelous painting.
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Old French gelos in the 13th century, originally meaning 'passionate' or 'zealous'. Over time, the meaning shifted to denote suspicion and possessiveness in romantic contexts, eventually narrowing to the modern sense of envious resentment toward a rival or another's advantages.
Breakdown
Old French gelos (passionate, zealous) → Middle English jelous → Modern English jealous. The semantic shift from 'zealous intensity' to 'suspicious vigilance' reflects the emotional transformation from active passion to defensive possessiveness.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“I'm so jealous of people who can eat pizza without gaining weight!”
“My cat gets jealous when I pet other animals.”
“She was jealous of her sister's academic success.”
“Don't be jealous of my awesome dance moves!”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related
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