jealous of someone

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   Feeling unhappy or angry because you want what another person has or fear losing someone's love to them.

   Grammar: Used after a linking verb like 'be' or 'feel': She is jealous of her sister. The 'of' is fixed; you cannot say 'jealous for someone'.

   Patterns

   • be jealous of someone
   • feel jealous of someone
   • get jealous of someone

   He gets jealous of his girlfriend when she talks to other men.

   She was jealous of her colleague's promotion.

   I felt jealous of my brother when he won the prize.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   Wanting to have the same good things that another person has; envious.

   Grammar: Often used with 'be' or 'feel', and can be followed by 'because' or a clause: I'm jealous of her because she travels so much.

   Patterns

   • be jealous of someone
   • be jealous of someone because ...

   I'm jealous of people who can speak three languages.

   Don't be jealous of him; he works very hard for his success.

Common combinations

jealous of someone's success

He was jealous of his friend's success.

jealous of someone's girlfriend

She gets jealous of his girlfriend.

jealous of someone's attention

The child was jealous of the attention his new sister received.

make someone jealous

He tried to make her jealous by talking to another girl.

Synonyms and how they differ

envious

Envious is more about wanting something another person has, while jealous often includes fear of losing someone's affection.

possessive

Possessive means wanting to control or keep someone's attention, which can be a cause of being jealous.

Opposites

Word family

jealousy noun

The feeling of being jealous.

jealously adverb

In a jealous way.

Commonly confused: jealous of someone or envious?

Practice

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