to be a person or thing that other people admire and that causes feelings of envy :
British television is the envy of the world.
to be a person or thing that other people admire and that causes feelings of envy :
British television is the envy of the world.
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005