How "envy" is different than "jealousy"
What is the difference between envy and jealousy? This question has been pondered by authors in the fields of psychology, history, and lexicography, and they often arrive at different answers. 聽
Lexicographer Bryan Garner asserts that jealousy 鈥渋s properly restricted to contexts involving emotional rivalry,鈥� while envy is 鈥渞esentful contemplation of a more fortunate person.鈥� Social psychologist Bren茅 Brown contrasts them in a different way: Envy is 鈥渨hen we want something that another person has,鈥� and jealousy is 鈥渨hen we fear losing a relationship ... that we already have.鈥澛�
I am with Merriam-Webster, which concludes that it is impractical to try to pin them down. The two words have acquired many connotations since they first appeared in the 13th century, and 鈥渕any educated people use them interchangeably.鈥� It鈥檚 common to comment 鈥淚鈥檓 so jealous!鈥� in response to a friend鈥檚 pictures from a fabulous vacation, for example, though according to the previous definitions you would properly be envious.
Attempts to distinguish them are perhaps influenced by their etymologies. Envy comes most directly from the French envie (鈥渨ant鈥�). 鈥�J鈥檃i envie d鈥檜ne glace鈥� is 鈥淚 want an ice cream,鈥� not 鈥淚 envy that double scoop of vanilla.鈥� The French envie derives in turn from invidia (in- + videre, 鈥渢o look back at鈥�) which referred to the 鈥渆vil eye鈥� in ancient Rome. It makes certain etymological sense, then, to cast envy as 鈥淚 want what I don鈥檛 have.鈥�
Jealous, rather surprisingly, is the twin of zealous. Both come from the Greek z脓los, which in ancient Athens was a generally positive term, meaning 鈥渆ager rivalry, fervor.鈥� In English, jealous, like zealous, was originally an indication of the strength of an emotion, not its content 鈥� 鈥渧ehement in feeling, as in wrath, desire, or devotion,鈥� according to the Oxford English Dictionary. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, people who were industrious at work, ardent in pursuing relationships, and vigilant about defending their honor could all be called jealous. Merriam-Webster notes that on the flip side, zealous 鈥渙ccasionally was used in biblical writing to refer to a quality of apprehensiveness or jealousy of another.鈥� In the 15th century, these words diverged. Zealous got the positive sense, 鈥渨armly engaged or ardent on behalf of someone or something,鈥� while jealous got the negative, 鈥渋ntolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness鈥� and 鈥渧igilant in guarding a possession.鈥� (Zealous is developing a negative connotation today, too, carrying a sense of 鈥渆xcessive feeling.鈥�)
Those who want to clearly separate envy from jealousy are zealous in their nitpicking. 聽
