envy
envy — verb
1. To experience discontent because another person has a quality, possession, or ad
To experience discontent because another person has a quality, possession, or advantage that you would like for yourself.
Lotte secretly envied her older sister for winning the national piano competition.
envy + noun + for + gerund (reason for envy)
"I really envy your ability to stay calm under pressure," said Ishaan during the presentation.
envy + noun phrase (quality as direct object)
The children in class all envied the new student's lunchbox with its secret compartments.
Kwame envied his colleague's promotion but congratulated her with genuine warmth.
Ava envies the way Rania can make friends wherever she travels.
- celebrate (someone's success)
to feel genuine happiness for another person's good fortune
- appreciate
to value what you have without comparing to others
文法句型
envy + noun phrase
envy + noun + for + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Rarely used in progressive tenses ("I am envying" is non-standard). Common patterns: a person can envy another person for a trait (envy someone for something) or envy the trait itself (envy someone's success).
常見錯誤
envy — noun
1. An unpleasant emotion that arises when you see someone else's advantage or good
An unpleasant emotion that arises when you see someone else's advantage or good fortune and wish you had the same thing yourself.
Rodrigo felt a wave of envy when he saw his friend's newly renovated apartment.
collocation: a wave of envy
Sayaka struggled to hide her envy as her teammate accepted the award on stage.
The success of his former classmates filled Stefan with quiet envy rather than joy.
Lien's envy of her neighbour's garden inspired her to start planting flowers too.
Green with envy, Iris watched her cousin drive away in a shiny new sports car.
- jealousy
often used interchangeably but more precisely refers to fear of losing something to a rival, especially in relationships
- resentment
a more bitter feeling that the other person does not deserve their advantage
- covetousness
formal, often with moral or religious disapproval; intense desire for what belongs to another
- contentment
a state of being satisfied with what you have
- generosity
the willingness to share your advantages rather than resent others'
文法句型
envy of + noun phrase
feel/experience envy
be filled with envy
用法筆記
Unlike jealousy (which involves a rival and the fear of losing something), envy is purely about wanting what another person has. Common intensifying phrases: 'green with envy,' 'burning with envy.'
常見錯誤
2. Something that many people admire and wish they owned, making its owner feel pro
Something that many people admire and wish they owned, making its owner feel proud. Almost always used in the fixed phrase 'the envy of [group].'
Isabela's hand-painted ceramic collection is the envy of her entire art class.
be the envy of + group (object of widespread desire)
The town's new public library quickly became the envy of nearby communities.
The school's rooftop garden and solar panels made it the envy of the whole street.
Among local gardeners, Sivan's rose garden is the envy of the entire county.
- pride
something that makes you feel proud, without the sense of others desiring it
- admiration
the object of respect, without the jealous undertone
- embarrassment
something that makes you feel ashamed rather than admired
文法句型
be the envy of + group of people
用法筆記
Only appears in the singular form in the fixed structure 'the envy of [group].' The subject is typically a possession, achievement, or quality — not a person directly — though it can be a person described by their attributes.
常見錯誤
3. Used after a noun to describe a particular possession or attribute of someone th
Used after a noun to describe a particular possession or attribute of someone that makes other people wish they had that specific thing. Always follows 'the envy of + group.'
Iris's ability to speak three languages fluently was the envy of her classmates.
envy of + group (specific talent as target)
The professor's rare collection of first-edition novels is the envy of scholars nationwide.
The Parks' vacation videos from Japan were the envy of everyone at the dinner party.
The Watanabe family's self-built wooden cabin became the envy of all their relatives.
文法句型
[possession/quality] + be + the envy of + [group]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 describes something that makes the owner broadly admired overall, while sense 3 points to a specific item or quality that people wish they personally could have.