green with jealousy

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   Feeling very unhappy and wanting what someone else has, especially their success, possessions, or advantages.

   Grammar: Used after the verb be or other linking verbs: She was green with jealousy. It describes a person's state, not an action.

   Patterns

   • be green with jealousy
   • feel green with jealousy
   • turn green with jealousy

   When his sister got a new bike, he was green with jealousy.

   She felt green with jealousy when her best friend won the art prize.

   He turned green with jealousy as he watched his colleague get the promotion.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   Used to describe a situation or remark that shows someone is jealous.

   Grammar: Can modify a noun: a green-with-jealousy look. More often it stands after a linking verb.

   Patterns

   • a green-with-jealousy look
   • a green-with-jealousy comment

   She gave him a green-with-jealousy look when he mentioned his holiday.

   His green-with-jealousy remark made everyone uncomfortable.

Common combinations

be green with jealousy

I was green with jealousy when I saw their new house.

feel green with jealousy

He felt green with jealousy after losing the race to his brother.

turn green with jealousy

She turned green with jealousy when her friend was chosen for the team.

make someone green with jealousy

His expensive car made his neighbors green with jealousy.

a bit green with jealousy

I have to admit I was a bit green with jealousy about her new job.

Synonyms and how they differ

envious

Envious is the direct adjective for wanting what someone else has; green with jealousy is a colorful idiom that sounds more emotional and dramatic.

jealous

Jealous can also mean afraid of losing someone's love or attention, while green with jealousy usually focuses on wanting another person's advantages.

covetous

Covetous is a formal word for wanting someone else's property; it is much less common in everyday speech than green with jealousy.

Opposites

Word family

jealousy noun

The feeling of being jealous; the noun form of the phrase.

jealous adjective

Feeling or showing jealousy.

jealously adverb

In a jealous way.

envy noun

The feeling of wanting what someone else has; a close synonym for jealousy.

envious adjective

Feeling envy; often used in the phrase green with envy.

Commonly confused: green with jealousy or green with envy?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “green with jealousy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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