jealous

Formsjealouses, jealousing, jealoused

1. 1
   enviousadjective

   Feeling resentful or angry toward someone because of an advantage or success they have, whether material or otherwise.

   Like the sting of seeing a neighbor pull into the driveway with the car you wished was yours.

   Many colleagues grew jealous of her sudden promotion.

   He couldn't hide how jealous he was of their new house.

   UsageYou are jealous of a person or of what they have: jealous of her success.

   Similarenvious, resentful, covetous

   Note

   Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray points it at something no rival owns: "I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die." Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Oscar Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray. gutenberg.org
   • The quotation appears exactly as given in the novel; its speaker is Dorian Gray. gutenberg.org
   • Dorian's envy includes something belonging to himself rather than to a rival: his portrait. gutenberg.org
2. 2
   doubting a partneradjective

   Suspicious that a lover or spouse may be unfaithful, or worried about being replaced in their affections by a rival.

   Like the cold feeling of watching someone you love laugh too easily at a stranger's jokes.

   A jealous husband, he questioned her about every late night at the office.

   She grew jealous whenever her partner mentioned an old flame.

   UsageCommon pairings: get jealous, a jealous rage, jealous of a rival.

   Similarpossessive, suspicious, distrustful

   Oppositetrusting

   Note

   Love's version of the word, with a Greek story behind it. Old French jalous came through Late Latin zelosus from Greek zêlos, which meant both "zeal" and "jealousy", so jealous and zealous are doublets, one word split in two. Its usual company is a jealous rage, a jealous lover, a jealous look. Henry Rider Haggard's narrator in She simply confesses it: "for I was jealous!" Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts

   • Jealous derives through Old French jalous and Late Latin zelosus from Greek zêlos. en.wiktionary.org
   • Greek zêlos meant both zeal and jealousy. en.wiktionary.org
   • Jealous and zealous are etymological doublets. en.wiktionary.org
   • H. Rider Haggard's full name was Henry Rider Haggard. en.wikipedia.org
   • Haggard wrote She. gutenberg.org
   • The quoted words are the narrator Holly's admission, and their wording is exact. gutenberg.org
3. 3
   protectiveadjective

   Zealously guarding and protective of something or someone one values, especially a spouse or lover.

   Like a watchdog that circles its territory, alert to anyone who comes too close.

   The old craftsman was jealous of his trade secrets, sharing them with no apprentice.

   She remained fiercely jealous of her independence throughout her life.

   UsageUsually jealous of something you already have and want to keep: jealous of his privacy.

   Similarprotective, possessive, watchful, vigilant

   Note

   Here jealousy guards rather than suspects, and the zeal in the word's Greek root (told under the romantic sense) comes through. The King James Bible of 1611 has "a jealous God" who will not share worship, and Maria Edgeworth's idlers in 1804 are "jealous of that title." In this use, the thing after jealous of is something you already hold. In the envious meaning, it is something another person has. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts

   • Jealous ultimately derives from a Greek word meaning zeal or jealousy. en.wiktionary.org
   • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. wwwe.lib.cam.ac.uk
   • The King James Bible contains the phrase 'a jealous God', spoken by God. en.wikisource.org
   • The biblical passage requires exclusive worship. en.wikisource.org
   • The passage appears in 'Rosanna', in Popular Tales, first published in 1804; 1805 is a later edition's date. womensprinthistoryproject.com
   • Edgeworth's narrator describes idle men as 'jealous of that title', referring to esquire. gutenberg.org
4. 4
   provoke a partnerverbAustraliatransitive

   To deliberately make someone jealous, especially about a partner's involvement with other people.

   Like flirting with someone at a party just to see whether your partner notices.

   He kept trying to jealous his girlfriend by flirting at the party.

   He posted old photos with his ex just to jealous his new girlfriend.

   Note

   Australian Aboriginal English made a verb of the adjective, and its subject is not the jealous party but the one stirring jealousy up. It takes a direct object and inflects regularly: jealousing, jealoused. Thalia Anthony's Indigenous People, Crime and Punishment (2013) uses it in an account of an assault. Keep it apart from the harassing verb: there the jealous person attacks, while here someone sets out to make another jealous. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • Thalia Anthony wrote Indigenous People, Crime and Punishment, first published in 2013. openlibrary.org
   • Anthony's book uses jealousing in an account of an assault. en.wiktionary.org

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