I. ˈenvē, -vi noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English envie, from Old French, from Latin invidia, from invidus envious (from invidēre to look askance at, envy, from in- in- (II) + vidēre to see) + -ia -y — more at wit
1. obsolete
a. : malice , spite
b. : opprobrium , unpopularity
2.
a. : painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another, accompanied by a desire to possess the same advantage
his lavish style of living … provoked half-contemptuous envy among his brothers — Willa Cather
I have a wild envy of the man in the taxi with her — Hollis Alpert
b. envies plural : instances of envious feeling
the attack … was due not only to the jealousies and envies — Hilaire Belloc
c. : an object of envious notice or feeling
my brother and I were the envy of all our friends — Margaret Bean
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English envien, from Middle French envier, from envie
transitive verb
1. : to feel envy toward or on account of : be painfully or resentfully aware of the advantage of (another) with a desire to possess the same advantage : be envious of
I often envy the writer who works in a university — V.S.Pritchett
she pretended to deplore her compatriot's escapades, which actually she envied desperately — Jean Stafford
2. obsolete : begrudge
intransitive verb
obsolete : to feel or show envy