What does enviable mean?
Enviable is an adjective used to describe something so desirable, advantageous, or fortunate that other people would naturally want it for themselves. A speaker might praise someone's enviable job, enviable talent, or enviable view of the ocean — the word signals admiration while acknowledging that the thing described is the kind of possession others might covet. It derives from the verb "envy" via the Latin root invidere, meaning "to look upon with malice," though in modern English it has shed any hostile edge and functions purely as praise. Enviable most often appears before abstract nouns such as reputation, position, record, or lifestyle, and its register suits both journalism and everyday conversation. Its opposite, unenviable, is frequently applied to difficult or unpleasant circumstances. Related forms include the adverb enviably and the adjective envious.
adjectiveSo desirable or advantageous that others wish they had it; arousing envy.
- Of a quality, situation, or possession: so desirable or fortunate as to be likely to arouse envy in others.
"She landed an enviable position at the firm straight out of college."
"The startup built an enviable reputation for treating its employees well."
"He retired at fifty with an enviable pension and a house by the sea."
The word enviable literally means 'worth being envied' — it's the rare compliment you pay to someone else's life, not your own.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enviable
Enviable comes from the verb "envy," which entered English from Old French envie, itself derived from Latin invidia, "envy" or "ill will." The Latin root is the verb invidere, literally "to look against" (in- + videre, "to see"), reflecting the ancient idea of envy as the malevolent glance cast at another's good fortune. English formed enviable with the Latinate -able suffix, and it has been in use since at least the early 17th century. Cognates sharing the same root include envious and invidious, which retains more of the original Latin sense of causing resentment.
Related word forms
How enviable is actually used
Enviable carries a positive connotation and is used admiringly rather than resentfully; it typically modifies abstract nouns such as reputation, position, lifestyle, or talent. The negative form "unenviable" is common for describing undesirable situations.
Easily confused with enviable
"Envious" describes the person who feels envy toward something, while "enviable" describes the thing that is so good it provokes that envy.
"Invidious" means likely to cause resentment or unfair discrimination, whereas "enviable" is a positive term meaning worth coveting.