envious

English

Etymology

Old French envieus; more at envy.

Pronunciation

• Audio (UK)

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Adjective

envious (comparative more envious, superlative most envious)

1. Feeling or exhibiting envy; jealously desiring the excellence or good fortune of another; maliciously grudging

   an envious man, disposition, or attack; envious tongues

   • Bible, Proverbs xxiv. 19.

     Neither be thou envious at the wicked.

   • Keble

     My soul is envious of mine eye.

2. Excessively careful; cautious.
   • Jeremy Taylor

     No men are so envious of their health.

3. (obsolete) Malignant; mischievous; spiteful.
   • Shakespeare

     Each envious brier his weary legs doth scratch.

4. (obsolete, poetic) Inspiring envy.
   • Spenser

     He to him leapt, and that same envious gage / Of victor's glory from him snatched away.

Translations

feeling or exhibiting envy

• Armenian: նախանձոտ (hy) (naxanjot), նախանձ (hy) (naxanj)
• Bulgarian: завистлив (bg) (zavistliv)
• Czech: závistivý (cs) m
• Danish: misundelig (da)
• Dutch: jaloers (nl), nijdig (nl)
• German: neidisch (de)
• Hungarian: irigy (hu), irigykedő (hu)
• Indonesian: iri (id)
• Irish: éadmhar (ga)
• Italian: invidioso (it)

• Jèrriais: envieux
• Kazakh: қызғаншақ (kk) (qızğanşaq)
• Norwegian: misunnelig (no)
• Portuguese: invejoso (pt)
• Romanian: invidios (ro), pizmaș (ro)
• Russian: завистливый (ru) (zavístlivyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: farmadach (gd)
• Spanish: envidioso (es)
• Swedish: avundsjuk (sv), misundsam (sv)
• Turkish: kıskanç (tr)

excessively careful

• Swedish: vaksam (sv)

malignant; mischievous; spiteful

• Swedish: svartsjuk (sv)

Anagrams

• niveous, veinous

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Old French

Etymology

Latin enviosus

Adjective

envious m (feminine enviouse)

1. envious; jealous
   • circa 1170, Wace, Le Roman de Rou:

     Mez mult part fu cruel e mult fu envious

     But [he] was very cruel and very jealous

Descendants

• English: envious