What does envying mean?
"Envying" is the present participle and gerund of the verb "envy," meaning to feel a painful or resentful desire for what another person has — their possessions, talents, success, or good fortune. It can describe an ongoing emotional state ("she spent years envying her sister's popularity") or appear as a gerund naming the act itself ("envying others rarely improves one's own situation"). The word carries a strongly negative connotation: unlike simple admiration or aspiration, envying implies bitterness or ill will toward the person who possesses the desired thing. English distinguishes it carefully from jealousy, which involves fear of losing something one already has, whereas envy concerns wanting what belongs to someone else. The concept is ancient and morally loaded — envy figures among the Seven Deadly Sins, and Shakespeare famously branded it the "green-eyed monster." In modern usage, "envying" most often surfaces in reflective, psychological, or moral contexts, describing a habit of mind people are encouraged to overcome.
verb (present participle and gerund of "envy")The present participle and gerund of "envy": feeling or expressing a painful or resentful desire for someone else's advantages, possessions, or qualities.
- To feel discontented or resentful longing aroused by another person's possessions, qualities, or luck.
- To wish one had something that another person has (used transitively, often with a clause or object such as 'I don't envy you your choice').
"She found herself envying her brother's freedom to travel whenever he pleased."
"He admitted to envying his colleague's effortless confidence in meetings."
"I don't envy you the task of telling her the news."
Envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins — and Shakespeare gave it green eyes, calling it the 'green-eyed monster' in Othello.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of envying
"Envying" derives from the Old French "envier" (to envy), which came from the Late Latin "invidiare," formed on Latin "invidia" (envy), literally a "looking upon" or "looking against" from "invidere" (to look at with malice). The root combines "in-" (upon) with "videre" (to see) — envy was originally imagined as casting an evil eye on another's good fortune. The English noun and verb "envy" entered Middle English in the 13th century via Anglo-Norman, and its inflected forms such as "envying" developed naturally alongside. A learned English relative of the same Latin root is "invidious."
Related word forms
How envying is actually used
"Envying" is somewhat less common in everyday speech than the base verb "envy" or the adjective "envious," and it frequently appears in progressive constructions ("was envying") or as a gerund ("envying others gets you nowhere"). It carries a predominantly negative connotation, implying resentment rather than mere admiration.
Easily confused with envying
"Envying" is the verb form describing the act of feeling envy, while "envious" is the adjective describing someone who has that feeling.
"Envy" (and "envying") concerns wanting what someone else has, whereas jealousy involves fear of losing something one already possesses to a rival.