envy
to wish that you had something that another person has
I envy her ability to talk to people she's never met before.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
envy
noun (no plural)
a sad or angry feeling of wanting what another person has same meaning jealousy:
I couldn't hide my envy of her success.
They looked with envy at her new clothes.
>> envy verb (envies, envying, envied /, has envied) :
I envy you! You always seem so happy!
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
envy
I. en‧vy1 /ˈenvi/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle envied, present participle envying, third person singular envies) [transitive]
1. to wish that you had someone else’s possessions, abilities etc:
I really envy you and Ian, you seem so happy together.
She has a lifestyle which most people would envy.
envy somebody something
He envied Rosalind her youth and strength.
2. I don’t envy you/her etc spoken used to say that you are glad that you are not in the bad situation that someone else is in
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
verb (en·vies, envy·ing, en·vied, en·vied)
1. to wish you had the same qualities, possessions, opportunities, etc. as sb else
• ~ sb He envied her— she seemed to have everything she could possibly want.
• ~ sth She has always envied my success.
• ~ sb sth I envied him his good looks.
• ~ sb doing sth I envy you having such a close family.
2. to be glad that you do not have to do what sb else has to do
• not ~ sb It's a difficult situation you're in. I don't envy you.
• not ~ sb sth I don't envy her that job.
Verb forms:
Word Origin:
Middle English (also in the sense ‘hostility, enmity’): from Old French envie (noun), envier (verb), from Latin invidia, from invidere ‘regard maliciously, grudge’, from in- ‘into’ + videre ‘to see’.
Example Bank:
• I secretly envied her for her good looks.
• I don't envy Ed that job.
• She had always envied my success.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
envy / ˈen.vi / verb [ T ]
B2 to wish that you had something that another person has:
I envy her ability to talk to people she's never met before.
[ + two objects ] I don't envy you the job of cooking for all those people.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
envy
[e̱nvi]
envies, envying, envied
1) N-UNCOUNT Envy is the feeling you have when you wish you could have the same thing or quality that someone else has.
Gradually he began to acknowledge his feelings of envy towards his mother...
They gazed in a mixture of envy and admiration at the beauty of the statue.
2) VERB If you envy someone, you wish that you had the same things or qualities that they have.
[V n] I don't envy the young ones who've become TV superstars and know no other world...
[V n] I have a rich brother and a lot of people envy the fact...
[V n n] He envied Caroline her peace...
[V n n] `You must've seen the world by now,' said Frannie, `I envy you that.'
3) N-SING: the N of n If a thing or quality is the envy of someone, they wish very much that they could have or achieve it.
Britain is now the envy of the world's record companies.
...an economic expansion that was the envy of many other states.
4) green with envy → see green
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
envy
2envy verb -vies; -vied; -vy·ing [+ obj] : to feel a desire to have what someone else has : to feel envy because of (someone or something)
• I envy you for your large group of friends.
• They envied his success. = They envied him for his success.
• I envy the way you've made so many friends.
• I don't envy you your dental problems. [=I'm glad that I don't have your dental problems]
