Link Centre Dictionary

jealous

jea·lous

US/ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/ common slang

adjective

1.

showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another''s advantages

  • “he was never covetous before he met her”
  • “jealous of his success and covetous of his possessions”
  • “envious of their art collection”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

suspicious or unduly suspicious or fearful of being displaced by a rival

  • “a jealous lover”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

First attested in 1382. From Middle English jelous, gelous, gelus, from Old French jalous, from Late Latin zelosus, from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”). Doublet of zealous.

Phrases

  • jealous as a Barbary pigeon
  • jealous husbands problem

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.