jealous

adjective

jeal·​ous ˈje-ləs How to pronounce jealous (audio)
1
: hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage : envious
His success made his old friends jealous.
They were jealous of his success.
2
a
: intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness
jealous of the slightest interference in household managementHavelock Ellis
b
: disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness
a jealous husband
3
: vigilant in guarding a possession
new colonies were jealous of their new independenceScott Buchanan
jealously adverb
jealousness noun

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Zealous vs. Jealous

Zealous and jealous share not just a rhyme, but an etymology. Both words ultimately come from the Latin zelus “jealousy,” and in the past their meanings were somewhat closer to each other than they are today. In the 16th and 17th centuries, zealous occasionally was used in biblical writing to refer to a quality of apprehensiveness or jealousy of another. By the 18th century, however, it had completely diverged in meaning from jealous, signifying “warmly engaged or ardent on behalf of someone or something.” Today, zealous often carries a connotation of excessive feeling: it typically means “fiercely partisan” or “uncompromisingly enthusiastic.”

Examples of jealous in a Sentence

His success has made some of his old friends jealous. She became very jealous whenever he talked to other women. He was in a jealous rage.
Recent Examples on the Web Dance lovers of all ages will delight in the treasured fairy tale of a jealous Queen and her kind-hearted stepdaughter. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 For example, if someone anywhere else in the country gets trapped in an outhouse toilet, is submerged to the waist in fetid muck and must be extracted by fire fighters, Florida Man is jealous and will consider suing for copyright infringement. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 And then other people are going to be jealous or be happy for her. Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 15 Feb. 2024 With athletic reflexes and reliable hands that would make NFL quarterbacks jealous, Gordon’s receiving skills have become an underrated cornerstone of the Denver Nuggets’ offense, often turning dangerous risks into thrilling highlights. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2024 And what of Elena’s wildly jealous husband, Pasquale (Dylan Arredondo)? Trey Graham, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024 Many people see the GDPR, the DMA, and DSA as jealous, protectionist attempts to attack American tech companies. David Meyer, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024 Since then, he's had the salary and connections to build a footwear collection that would make any die-hard sneakerhead jealous. Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024 Welcome to regular life, where people stray, others get jealous, and agreements are often violated. Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jealous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English jelous, from Anglo-French gelus, from Vulgar Latin *zelosus, from Late Latin zelus zeal — more at zeal

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of jealous was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near jealous

Cite this Entry

“Jealous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jealous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jealous

adjective
jeal·​ous ˈjel-əs How to pronounce jealous (audio)
1
: demanding complete devotion
2
: feeling mean resentment toward a rival or competitor
3
: fearful of the loss of a loved one's devotion
4
jealously adverb

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