FreeScrabbleDictionary

envy

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
10
Words With Friends
11
Letters
4
Pronunciation
/ˈɛnvi/

Definition of envy

14 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. (countable, uncountable)Resentful desire of something possessed by another or others (but not limited to material possessions).
    “No bliss enjoyed by us excites his envy more.”
    “Envy, to which the ignoble mind's a slave, Is emulation in the learned or brave.”
    “distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour.”
    “Theodorus assures Socrates that no envy will prevent the Stranger from responding”
See all 14 definitions

noun

  1. (countable, uncountable)Resentful desire of something possessed by another or others (but not limited to material possessions).
    “No bliss enjoyed by us excites his envy more.”
    “Envy, to which the ignoble mind's a slave, Is emulation in the learned or brave.”
    “distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour.”
    “Theodorus assures Socrates that no envy will prevent the Stranger from responding”
  2. (countable, uncountable)An object of envious notice or feeling.
    “This constitution in former days used to be the envy of the world[.]”
    “Blacke Foryst of Despayr, taking photos of the band Put 'em up on Myspace you're the envy of the land”
  3. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)Hatred, enmity, ill-feeling.
    “Syre said laūcelot vnto Arthur by this crye that ye haue made ye wyll put vs that ben aboute yow in grete Ieopardy for there be many Knyghtes that haue grete enuye to vs therfore whan we shal mete at the daye of Iustes there wille be hard skyfte amonge vs”
    “But let me tell the World, If he out-liue the enuie of this day, England did neuer owe so sweet a hope, So much misconstrued in his Wantonnesse.”
  4. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)Emulation; rivalry.
    “c. 1631-1636, John Ford, The Fancies Chaste and Noble Such as cleanliness and decency Prompt to a virtuous envy.”
  5. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)Public odium; ill repute.
    “to lay the envy of the war upon Cicero”
  6. (countable, uncountable)A red-skinned variety of eating apple.

verb

  1. (transitive)To feel displeasure or hatred towards (someone) for their good fortune or possessions.
  2. (transitive)To resentfully or discontentedly desire (something someone else has that one lacks).
  3. (intransitive, obsolete)To have envious feelings (at).
    “I do not envy at their wealth, titles, offices;[…]let me live quiet and at ease.”
    “Who envy at the prosperity of the wicked?”
  4. (obsolete, transitive)To give (something) to (someone) grudgingly or reluctantly; to begrudge.
    “But that sweet Cordiall, which can restore A loue-sick hart, she did to him enuy[…].”
  5. (obsolete)To show malice or ill will; to rail.
    “He has[…]envied against the people.”
  6. (obsolete)To do harm to; to injure; to disparage.
    “If I make a lie To gain your love and envy my best mistress, Put me against a wall.”
  7. (obsolete)To hate.
    “Both jealous of my love, envied each other”
  8. (obsolete)To emulate.
    “Let later age that noble vse enuie, Vile rancour to auoid, and cruell surquedrie”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Etymology tree Old French enviebor. Middle English envie English envy From Middle English envie, from Old French envie, from Latin invidia (“envy”), from invidere (“to look at with malice”), from in- (“on, upon”) + videre (“to look, see”). Doublet of envie. Cognate to Proto-Slavic *zavistь (“envy”). Displaced native Old English æfest and Old English nīþ.

Anagrams of envy

4 plays · some not in Scrabble

Words you can make from envy

4 playable · top: YEN (6 pts)

Best play yen 6 points

2-letter words

3 words

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