What does envied mean?
Envied is the past tense and past participle of the verb envy, which means to experience a painful or resentful longing for what belongs to someone else — their wealth, talent, beauty, luck, or status. A person might have envied a colleague's promotion, a friend's easy charm, or a rival's success. The word also appears in a more complimentary sense: something described as envied, such as an envied position or reputation, is something others wish they had. This dual character gives the word its interesting flavour — to feel envy is one of the less admirable human emotions, traditionally condemned as one of the seven deadly sins, yet to be envied is often a mark of achievement. Related forms include envy, envious, and enviable, all tracing back through Old French to the Latin invidia, from invidere, 'to look against' or 'to regard maliciously'.
Past tense and past participle of 'envy': to have felt discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.
"He envied his sister's freedom to travel wherever she pleased."
Describing something that is the object of others' envy or envious admiration.
"She held the most envied seat in the office, right by the window."
This adjectival use typically appears in phrases like 'much envied' or 'widely envied'.
Envy was considered so corrosive that medieval scholars listed it among the seven deadly sins — yet being envied has always been a badge of success.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of envied
Envied derives from the verb envy, which entered Middle English from Old French 'envie', itself from Latin 'invidia', meaning envy or ill will. The Latin noun comes from the verb 'invidere', literally 'to look against' or 'to look upon with malice', formed from 'in-' ('against') and 'videre' ('to see'). The same Latin root gives English 'invidious', meaning likely to arouse resentment. The word has carried its sense of resentful longing since it first appeared in English during the medieval period.
Related word forms
How envied is actually used
'Envied' carries a negative connotation when it describes resentful longing, but in phrases like 'much envied' or 'the envy of' it often functions as a compliment, signalling prestige or desirability. The verb is standard in both formal and informal registers.
Easily confused with envied
'Envious' is an adjective describing someone who feels envy, while 'envied' is the past form of the verb describing either the act of feeling envy or the state of being the object of others' envy.