Synonyms for envious
- adjective
Most common
Definitions
- adj. 1
Feeling or exhibiting envy; jealously desiring the excellence or good fortune of another; maliciously grudging.
an envious man, disposition, or attack; envious tongues
Related words
- Word family
- enviously enviousness
Choose the right word
One is envious who cherishes selfish ill will toward another because of his superior success, endowments, possessions, or the like.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- jealous Tom is just jealous that we're having so much fun.
- suspicious A policeman was gazing at a suspicious pedestrian.
- desirous She was desirous of her son's success.
- covetous A covetous man is good to none and worst to himself.
- overcautious Sometimes being overcautious in planning could upset the apple cart.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| envious | rising | |
| jealous | rising | |
| suspicious | rising | |
| desirous | falling | |
| covetous | steady | |
| grudging | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- green1
- 7 letters
- jealous2
- 8 letters
- desirous3, grudging2, covetous
- 9 letters
- malicious3, invidious4
- 10 letters
- suspicious3
- 12 letters
- overcautious
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (jealous2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- envieux