envious

English

Etymology

From Old French envieus, envious (modern French envieux), from Vulgar Latin *enviōsus, from Latin invidiōsus.; more at envy.

Pronunciation

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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 ‎(naxanjot), նախանձ (hy) ‎(naxanj)
• Bulgarian: завистлив (bg) ‎(zavistliv)
• Czech: závistivý m
• Danish: misundelig
• Dutch: jaloers (nl), nijdig (nl)
• Faroese: øvundsjúkur
• Finnish: kateellinen (fi), kade (fi)
• Georgian: შურიანი ‎(šuriani)
• German: neidisch (de)
• Greek: ζηλόφθονος (el) m ‎(zilófthonos), ζηλιάρης (el) m ‎(ziliáris)
• Hungarian: irigy (hu), irigykedő
• Indonesian: iri (id)
• Irish: éadmhar

• Italian: invidioso (it)
• Norman: envieux
• Kazakh: қызғаншақ ‎(qızğanşaq)
• Korean: 부럽다 (ko) ‎(bureopda)
• Norwegian: misunnelig
• Persian: حسود (fa) ‎(hasud)
• Portuguese: invejoso (pt)
• Romanian: invidios (ro), pizmaș (ro)
• Russian: завистливый (ru) ‎(zavistlivyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: farmadach
• Spanish: envidioso (es)
• Swedish: avundsjuk (sv), misundsam
• Turkish: kıskanç (tr)

excessively careful

• Spanish: receloso
• Swedish: vaksam (sv)

malignant; mischievous; spiteful

• Greek: φθονερός (el) m ‎(fthonerós)

• Swedish: svartsjuk (sv)

See also

• jealous

Anagrams

• niveous, veinous

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Old French

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *enviōsus, from Latin invidiōsus.

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
• French: envieux
• Norman: envieux