Enviouse

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Feeling bitter or resentful because someone else has something you wish you had yourself
2. Wishing to have what another person possesses and resenting them for owning it
3. Characterized by a resentful desire for the success, goods or qualities of others

Etymology: The Latin verb "invidere" meant to look askance at someone, to cast a grudging eye on what they had. It was built from "in-", here meaning "upon", and "videre", "to see", so envy began as a gesture of looking at another's good fortune with ill will. The Latin adjective "invidiosus" came through Old French as "envieus" and reached English in the Middle Ages, where spellings such as "enviouse", with its final -e, were common. The same root gave English "invidious", which was once a close synonym. It could describe a person full of envy. Over time it narrowed to mean unfair or likely to cause resentment, as when a choice is invidious. "Envious" kept the older sense of wanting what someone else has, so the two words divided the inheritance between them.

Synonyms: jealous, covetous, resentful, grudging

Antonyms: content, satisfied, generous