Meaning & use
jealous over someone
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Feeling unhappy or resentful because you think someone you care about is giving attention or love to another person.
Grammar: Used after 'be' or 'feel': She was jealous over someone at work. 'Of' is more common than 'over' in this meaning.
Patterns
- be jealous over someone
- feel jealous over someone
He got jealous over someone he saw her talking to at the party.
I don't want to sound jealous over someone I've never even met.
She admitted she was jealous over someone from his past.
phrasefixed phrase
Worried or unhappy about losing someone's attention, affection, or loyalty to another person.
Grammar: Often followed by a clause with 'that' or a noun: jealous over someone's success. It focuses on the person who is the object of your jealousy.
Patterns
- jealous over someone's success
- jealous over someone's relationship
He became jealous over someone who was just a friend.
Don't be jealous over someone else's good fortune; your time will come.
Common combinations
- be jealous over someone
- She was jealous over someone she barely knew.
- get jealous over someone
- He gets jealous over someone every time she mentions an ex.
- jealous over someone's success
- It's hard not to be jealous over someone's success when you're struggling.
- jealous over someone else
- Why are you jealous over someone else when you have me?
Synonyms and how they differ
- envious
- Envious is more about wanting what someone else has; jealous over someone is more about fear of losing affection.
- possessive
- Possessive means wanting to control or keep someone's attention; it often implies a stronger, more controlling feeling than jealous over someone.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: jealous over someone or jealous of someone?
jealous over someone vs jealous of someone
'Jealous of someone' is the standard phrase; 'jealous over someone' is less common and often sounds more emotional or focused on the person causing jealousy.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'jealous over someone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Jealous over someone' means feeling unhappy about someone's attention to another person. The other options use 'over' with unrelated meanings (wanting help, going to the movies, or being the reason for jealousy) that do not fit the phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jealous over someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.