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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Jealous: Definition, Usage & Key Differences (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：envious feeling (jealous)

jealous 🔊

/ˈdʒeləs/

adj.

Feeling upset or unhappy because someone else has something good that you want, or because they are successful.

Jealousy illustrated by a girl enviously watching her friend play a new piano.

envious feeling 🔊

➕

/ˈɛnviəs ˈfiːlɪŋ/

adj.

A negative emotion caused by wanting something that belongs to someone else.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'zelosus' (full of zeal) and Greek 'zelos' (ardor, rivalry).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'jeans' and 'us': everyone wants the same cool jeans, creating a jealous 'us'.

📖 Example

She felt a little jealous when her sister got a new bike for her birthday. 🔊 Her sister's new birthday gift caused her to experience a touch of envy.

🔗 Collocations

jealous of – feeling envy towards someone or something

green with envy – extremely jealous (idiomatic)

jealous rage – an outburst of anger caused by jealousy

🔄 Synonyms

envious (adj.) – Desiring what another person has.

covetous (adj.) – Having an eager, often greedy, desire for something.

resentful (adj.) – Feeling bitterness or indignation about something perceived as unfair.

🚫 Antonyms

content (adj.) – Satisfied with what one has.

generous (adj.) – Willing to give and share; not envious.

indifferent (adj.) – Having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned.

🌱 Derivatives

jealously (adv.) – In a jealous manner.

jealousy (n.) – The state or feeling of being jealous.

📖 Cultural Story

Originates from Greek 'zelos', meaning fervor or emulation. It entered English via Old French 'jalous'. Historically, the meaning shifted from positive zeal to negative suspicion and envy.

Meaning 2：possessively protective (jealous)

jealous 🔊

/ˈdʒeləs/

adj.

Feeling worried or angry because you think someone you love might leave you for another person.

Jealous person feeling possessive, watching their partner from a window.

possessively protective 🔊

➕

/pəˈzɛsɪvli prəˈtɛktɪv/

adj.

A fearful or anxious feeling about potentially losing a loved one's affection to a rival.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

He became jealous when he saw his girlfriend talking and laughing with her coworker. 🔊 He felt a surge of protective suspicion upon seeing his girlfriend enjoy a conversation with a male colleague.

🔗 Collocations

jealous boyfriend/girlfriend – a partner who is prone to feelings of romantic suspicion

fit of jealousy – a sudden, intense episode of jealous feelings

jealous type – a person who is characteristically jealous

🔄 Synonyms

possessive (adj.) – Demanding someone's total attention and love; unwilling to share.

suspicious (adj.) – Having or showing distrust.

insecure (adj.) – Lacking confidence and certainty in a relationship.

🚫 Antonyms

trusting (adj.) – Showing or having a belief in someone's honesty or goodness.

secure (adj.) – Confident and free from fear or doubt in a relationship.

unconcerned (adj.) – Not worried or anxious; indifferent.

🌱 Derivatives

jealously (adv.) – In a jealous manner.

jealousy (n.) – The state or feeling of being jealous.