jealous

[jel-uhs]

adjective

1. feeling resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages (often followed byof ).

   He was jealous of his rich brother.

2. feeling resentment because of another's success, advantage, etc. (often followed byof ).

   He was jealous of his brother's wealth.

3. characterized by or proceeding from suspicious fears or envious resentment.

   a jealous rage; jealous intrigues.

4. inclined to or troubled by suspicions or fears of rivalry, unfaithfulness, etc., as in love or aims.

   a jealous husband.

5. solicitous or vigilant in maintaining or guarding something.

   The American people are jealous of their freedom.

6. Bible.,  intolerant of unfaithfulness or rivalry.

   The Lord is a jealous God.

jealous

/ ˈdʒɛləs /

adjective

1. suspicious or fearful of being displaced by a rival

   a jealous lover

2. resentful (of) or vindictive (towards), esp through envy

   a child jealous of his brother

3. possessive and watchful in the maintenance or protection (of)

   jealous of one's reputation

4. characterized by or resulting from jealousy

5. obsolete,  demanding exclusive loyalty

   a jealous God

6. an obsolete word for zealous

Other Word Forms

• jealousness noun
• jealously adverb
• overjealous adjective
• overjealously adverb
• overjealousness noun
• unjealous adjective
• unjealously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of jealous¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English gelos, jelous, from Old French gelos (compare French jaloux ), from Vulgar Latin zēlōsus (unrecorded), from Late Latin zēl(us) zeal + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of jealous¹

C13: from Old French gelos, from Medieval Latin zēlōsus, from Late Latin zēlus emulation, jealousy, from Greek zēlos _zeal

Example Sentences

Subsequently, a court was told the defendant's mental health began to decline in 2023, with Tape becoming paranoid and then jealous.

From BBC

Some kids get jealous when their sibling’s birthday rolls around and all the attention turns to the birthday child.

From Los Angeles Times

“There are a lot of movies about women being jealous of each other, but there aren’t a lot about men,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

There was little tenderness in his relationship with Marvin Gay Sr., a jealous man who drank hard and dressed in women’s clothes, a habit that embarrassed the young singer.

From Los Angeles Times

It never quite got to a jealous place, but it sort of was.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anxious 
• apprehensive 
• attentive 
• envious 
• intolerant 
• possessive 
• protective 
• resentful 
• skeptical 
• suspicious 

When To Use

What does jealous mean?

To be jealous is to feel resentment, bitterness, or hostility toward someone because they have something that you don’t.This feeling or the state of feeling this way is called jealousy. Jealous can describe someone who is feeling or is prone to jealousy. It can also be used to describe such a person’s thoughts or actions.Feeling jealous usually occurs as a result of someone owning something you want but can’t have or having achieved some kind of success that you want to achieve but have not been able to.This sense of jealous is very similar in meaning to envious. The word envy refers to a mostly negative feeling of desire for something that someone else has and you do not—like a mix of admiration and discontent. However, while envy is not necessarily malicious, jealousy usually implies a deeper resentment, perhaps because you feel that you deserve the thing more than the other person, or that it is unfair that they have it and you don’t.Jealous is also used in the context of romantic relationships to describe someone who feels hostility, uneasiness, or distress relating to the fear that their romantic partner will be unfaithful. This often involves opposition to others giving one’s partner positive attention. Being jealous in this way is considered very unhealthy in a relationship. The word is often used applied to partners who act this way, as in jealous husband or jealous girlfriend.Sometimes, jealous can mean vigilant in maintaining or guarding something. This sense of the word is often used in adverb form, as in The dragon jealously guarded the treasure. Example: If your friends feel jealous of you because of your success, they may not be your friends.