envious

Envious is an adjective describing the feeling of envy toward someone else's qualities, achievements, or possessions. A person who is envious may desire what another has and experience resentment, covetousness, or ill will toward them. The term is most often used to characterize a passive emotion rather than deliberate malice. In everyday language, envious contrasts with jealous, which more commonly concerns guarding what one already possesses rather than coveting what another has.

Origins of the word trace to the noun envy, which comes from Latin invidia meaning harm or spite toward another. Through Old French and Middle English forms such as envie, the modern adjective envious was created by adding the -ous suffix. The sense has remained closely tied to desiring another's advantages.

In psychology and cultural discussions, envy is viewed as a social emotion tied to comparison and perceived scarcity. Envious feelings can be fleeting or sustained and may motivate self-improvement, but they can also fuel resentment, bitterness, or harmful behavior toward others. Some traditions treat envy as a vice to be restrained, while others acknowledge it as a common human experience.

Usage examples: "She felt envious of her friend's success." "An envious glance betrayed his longing for the car." See also envy, jealousy, covetousness.