Jealous
adj, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 To harass or attack (somebody) out of jealousy. ambitransitive, slang
"If I go back, he starts his jealousing again. Drinking and jealousing."
- 2 To deliberately make (someone) jealous of another person's (often their partner's) associations with other people. transitive
"[…] where the victim of an assault had been 'jealousing' the offender about her sister."
- 1 Suspecting rivalry in love; troubled by worries that one might have been replaced in someone's affections; suspicious of a lover's or spouse's fidelity.
"jealous rage"
- 2 Protective; zealously guarding; careful in the protection of something (or someone) one has or appreciates, especially one's spouse or lover.
"Thou ſhalt not bow downe thy ſelfe to them, nor ſerue them: For I the Lord thy God am a iealous God, viſiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children, vnto the thirde and fourth generation of them that hate me:"
- 3 Envious; feeling resentful or angered toward someone for a perceived advantage or success, material or otherwise.
"be jealous of someone/something"
- 4 Suspicious; apprehensive.
"I began my fence or wall; which, being still jealous of my being attacked by somebody, I resolved to make very thick and strong."
- 1 showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another's advantages wordnet
- 2 suspicious or unduly suspicious or fearful of being displaced by a rival wordnet
Example
More examples"He was sick of being vilified all the time by people who were jealous of his ability."
Etymology
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.
Related phrases
More for "jealous"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.