PhrasesHub

Green with envy

    Definitions

      • feeling jealous or envious
        To describe someone who is envious of another person's success, possessions, or achievements.

      • wanting something that someone else has
        To express a desire for something that someone else has, often accompanied by feelings of envy or jealousy.

    Examples of Green with envy

    • Sarah couldn't stop staring at Jennifer's new car. She felt green with envy at the sight of it.

      This idiom is used to describe someone's intense feelings of jealousy and spite towards another person's possession or achievement. In this example, Sarah's envy for Jennifer's new car is so strong that it makes her look sickly green in colour, illustrating the intensity of her emotion.

    • The successful athlete's former teammates still remained green with envy over his rise to fame and fortune.

      This example shows that the idiom can also be used to convey prolonged or ongoing feelings of jealousy. In this case, the athlete's former teammates still harbour feelings of envy towards his success, despite the passage of time.

    • The famous artist's new exhibition left his rivals green with envy over the high critical acclaim it received.

      The usage here demonstrates how the idiom can be employed in relation to professional success. The artist's achievements have left his rivals with an intense sense of resentment and jealousy.

    • John's envy over Jane's promotion was so great that it made him look green with envy at their staff meeting.

      This usage serves to illustrate the strength and immediacy of envy. In this example, John's jealousy is so acute that it is plainly visible, making him physically look green.

    • Sarah couldn't believe how effortlessly Jane landed her dream job. She spent the entire meeting with her boss, green with envy, wishing she could have Jane's skills and opportunities.

      To be "green with envy" means to feel intense jealousy, so much so that it physically manifests itself in the form of a sickly green color. In this example, Sarah's envy is so strong that it consumes her and causes her to look visibly ill.

    • When John's cousin announced her engagement on Facebook, Jack immediately deleted his profile, disillusioned and green with envy over John's seemingly perfect relationship.

      This example shows that envy doesn't always have to be about one's accomplishments or possessions, but can also stem from feeling inferior in one's personal life. In Jack's case, seeing John's seemingly happy relationship makes him feel inadequate and envious.

    • During the awards ceremony, the actress was green with envy as the presenter mistakenly called out her name instead of the actual winner's.

      This example emphasizes that envy isn't always about being jealous of someone else's achievements, but can also arise from unfair circumstances, such as being mistakenly recognized for something one hasn't accomplished.

    • The student spent the entire lecture, head buried in his textbook, green with envy as his classmates chatted and laughed around him, grasping the information much more easily than he did.

      Here, envy arises due to a feeling of inadequacy in one's abilities or intelligence. The student's academic struggles make him envy his peers' ease with the subject matter.


    Conclusion

    The idiom "green with envy" is typically used to describe feelings of jealousy and envy towards someone else. It can also be used to express a strong desire for something that someone else has.

    Origin of "Green with envy"

    The origin of this idiom can be traced back to ancient Greece, where the color green was associated with sickness, as people's skin would turn a greenish hue when they were ill. This later evolved to represent negative emotions such as jealousy and envy.

    The phrase was first recorded in Shakespeare's play "Othello," where the character Iago says, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." This line is often interpreted as referring to the color green as a symbol of jealousy.

    Over time, the phrase "green with envy" became a popular way to express feelings of jealousy and envy towards someone else's success or possessions. It has since become a commonly used idiom in the English language.