Idioms are special phrases where the words together have a different meaning than what they say individually. People use them to make their speaking and writing sound more colorful, interesting, and natural. In this lesson, you will learn fifty useful idioms that can help you talk about feeling envious or wishing you had what someone else possesses.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean feeling jealousy or coveting another person’s success. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Jealous
1. Green with envy
Definition: Extremely jealous of someone else’s possessions, success, or good fortune.
Used in a Sentence: When he saw his friend’s brand new bicycle, he was green with envy. / She turned green with envy upon hearing about the surprise vacation trip.
Similar Expressions: Deeply envious / Overcome with jealousy
2. Chip on your shoulder
Definition: Holding a bitter or resentful attitude because you feel unfairly treated compared to others.
Used in a Sentence: He always acts defensive because he walks around with a massive chip on his shoulder. / Letting go of your chip on your shoulder will make friendship much easier.
Similar Expressions: Holding a grudge / Resentful attitude
3. Eat your heart out
Definition: A playful phrase telling someone to feel jealous of your success or cool items.
Used in a Sentence: Look at my new art trophy, eat your heart out! / When she won the spelling bee, she wanted to tell her rivals to eat their hearts out.
Similar Expressions: Be jealous / Envy this
4. Covet thy neighbor’s ox
Definition: Wanting what belongs to another person out of strong envy.
Used in a Sentence: Wishing you had your classmate’s video game console is like coveting thy neighbor’s ox. / Learning to appreciate your own toys stops you from coveting thy neighbor’s ox.
Similar Expressions: Wanting others’ things / Envious desire
5. Sour grapes
Definition: Pretending you do not want something valuable simply because you cannot have it.
Used in a Sentence: He said the art prize was boring, but that was just sour grapes because he lost. / Calling the winning team’s trophy ugly is pure sour grapes.
Similar Expressions: Envious dismissal / Bitter rejection
6. Keep up with the Joneses
Definition: Trying to buy everything your neighbors have out of social jealousy.
Used in a Sentence: Buying a fancy lawnmower just to match the neighbors is trying to keep up with the Joneses. / They spent all their savings trying to keep up with the Joneses.
Similar Expressions: Social rivalry / Envious matching
7. Envious eyes
Definition: Looking at someone’s belongings with a strong desire to possess them.
Used in a Sentence: He cast envious eyes toward the last slice of chocolate cake. / She watched her sister open gifts with envious eyes.
Similar Expressions: Covetous gaze / Greedy look
8. Wish you were in someone’s shoes
Definition: Wanting to trade places with someone because you envy their luck.
Used in a Sentence: Seeing him win the contest made me wish I was in his shoes. / When she saw the vacation photos, she wished she was in their shoes.
Similar Expressions: Wanting their life / Envious position
9. Burning with jealousy
Definition: Feeling an intense, hot wave of anger and envy toward someone else.
Used in a Sentence: He was burning with jealousy when his brother got the lead role. / She sat quietly, burning with jealousy over the praise her peer received.
Similar Expressions: Fuming with envy / Bitterly jealous
10. Eye someone’s prize
Definition: To look jealously at an award or item that someone else won.
Used in a Sentence: The runner-up could not stop eyeing the gold medal winner’s prize. / He spent the whole assembly eyeing his rival’s trophy.
Similar Expressions: Envious stare / Coveting winnings
11. Bitter pill to swallow
Definition: A painful truth or loss that causes feelings of envy and resentment.
Used in a Sentence: Losing the election to his best friend was a bitter pill to swallow. / Watching someone else get the reward was a bitter pill to swallow.
Similar Expressions: Hard defeat / Painful reality
12. Dog in the manger
Definition: Being selfish and jealous by stopping others from using something you do not even want.
Used in a Sentence: Refusing to let anyone else play the guitar when you cannot play is acting like a dog in the manger. / Sharing toys prevents you from being a dog in the manger.
Similar Expressions: Selfish spoil-sport / Envious blocker
13. Covetous gaze
Definition: A look full of jealous desire for an object that belongs to another.
Used in a Sentence: He cast a covetous gaze at the shiny new skateboard in the rack. / She looked at her friend’s new jacket with a covetous gaze.
Similar Expressions: Envious stare / Greedy look
14. Turn green
Definition: To visibly show sudden jealousy or sickness when someone succeeds.
Used in a Sentence: His face seemed to turn green when the teacher announced the winner. / She tried not to turn green with envy during the award ceremony.
Similar Expressions: Look envious / Turn pale with jealousy
15. Eye of newt and heart of envy
Definition: A dramatic way to describe feeling wicked jealousy toward a peer.
Used in a Sentence: Do not let an eye of newt and heart of envy ruin your friendships. / Feeling bitter and acting out showed an eye of newt and heart of envy.
Similar Expressions: Malicious jealousy / Envious spirit
16. Longing glance
Definition: A sad, envious look at something you wish you owned.
Used in a Sentence: She threw a longing glance at the bakery window display. / He cast a longing glance at his friend’s new bicycle.
Similar Expressions: Envious look / Yearning stare
17. Stare with envy
Definition: To fix your eyes on someone’s success or item out of jealousy.
Used in a Sentence: The other players began to stare with envy at the championship rings. / Do not stare with envy when someone else achieves a goal.
Similar Expressions: Watch jealously / Gaze enviously
18. Green-eyed monster
Definition: A classic literary term used to describe the feeling of jealousy.
Used in a Sentence: He let the green-eyed monster take over when his friend bought a new game. / Jealousy is often called the green-eyed monster that ruins trust.
Similar Expressions: Jealousy personified / Envious feeling
19. Covet in your heart
Definition: To secretly wish you owned what belongs to another person.
Used in a Sentence: It is harmful to covet in your heart things your friends possess. / She tried not to covet in your heart her classmate’s grades.
Similar Expressions: Secret envy / Hidden desire
20. Resentful glare
Definition: An angry, bitter look thrown at someone due to deep jealousy.
Used in a Sentence: He shot a resentful glare across the room at the winner. / She hid her face behind a book to avoid giving a resentful glare.
Similar Expressions: Bitter look / Angry stare
21. Want what you cannot have
Definition: A restless feeling of envy focused on unattainable objects or status.
Used in a Sentence: Stop wasting energy wanting what you cannot have and enjoy your own books. / Envy often tricks people into wanting what they cannot have.
Similar Expressions: Unrealistic craving / Forbidden desire
22. Envy the spotlight
Definition: To feel jealous of the attention and praise someone else is receiving.
Used in a Sentence: He never liked to envy the spotlight, preferring to work quietly behind the scenes. / When she won the poetry contest, everyone began to envy the spotlight she got.
Similar Expressions: Want attention / Jealous of fame
23. Covetous streak
Definition: A temporary or permanent personality trait of wanting everyone else’s items.
Used in a Sentence: He showed a sudden covetous streak when his brother got a new computer. / Try to fix a covetous streak by practicing gratitude.
Similar Expressions: Envious phase / Jealous habit
24. Burn with envy
Definition: To feel a painful, hot sensation of jealousy inside.
Used in a Sentence: Seeing everyone praise her painting made him burn with envy. / Do not let success make you burn with envy.
Similar Expressions: Feel jealous / Smart with envy
25. Covet the crown
Definition: To feel envious of someone’s winning title or top position.
Used in a Sentence: Several players began to covet the crown during the chess tournament. / He did not want to covet the crown, just play for fun.
Similar Expressions: Want the prize / Envy the winner
26. Green malice
Definition: A spiteful action driven purely by jealousy and bitterness.
Used in a Sentence: Hiding her classmate’s notebook was an act of green malice. / Overcoming green malice helps build stronger school communities.
Similar Expressions: Envious spite / Bitter hatred
27. Sidelong glance of envy
Definition: Looking sideways at someone’s achievement with quiet jealousy.
Used in a Sentence: He gave a sidelong glance of envy at his peer’s high score. / She offered a polite smile while hiding a sidelong glance of envy.
Similar Expressions: Envious side-eye / Jealous look
28. Sick with jealousy
Definition: Feeling physically unwell and emotionally burdened by severe envy.
Used in a Sentence: Hearing about the grand prize made him feel sick with jealousy. / She was sick with jealousy when her best friend moved away to a fancy school.
Similar Expressions: Deeply envious / Overwhelmed by envy
29. Covetous desire
Definition: A strong, greedy wish to take what belongs to someone else.
Used in a Sentence: He looked at the rare trading card with a covetous desire. / Letting go of a covetous desire brings peace of mind.
Similar Expressions: Envious craving / Greedy want
30. Envious whisper
Definition: Talking quietly and jealously about someone else’s success behind their back.
Used in a Sentence: The back row filled with an envious whisper when the test scores were posted. / Ignore any envious whisper and focus on your own progress.
Similar Expressions: Jealous gossip / Envious murmur
31. Grudge against success
Definition: Feeling bitter and jealous toward anyone who achieves greatness.
Used in a Sentence: Holding a grudge against success will never help you improve your own grades. / He harbored a secret grudge against success.
Similar Expressions: Bitter rivalry / Envious resentment
32. Stare daggers
Definition: To look at someone with angry eyes born of jealousy and frustration.
Used in a Sentence: She started to stare daggers at the girl who won the lead singing part. / He caught his rival starting to stare daggers across the gym.
Similar Expressions: Angry glare / Glare with venom
33. Covet the throne
Definition: To feel envious of a leader’s power or top position in a group.
Used in a Sentence: The vice president began to covet the throne of the school club. / Instead of trying to covet the throne, focus on teamwork.
Similar Expressions: Envy leadership / Want power
34. Envious pang
Definition: A sudden, sharp feeling of jealousy in your chest.
Used in a Sentence: He felt an envious pang when his friend opened a new phone box. / She hid an envious pang behind a cheerful smile.
Similar Expressions: Sudden jealousy / Twinge of envy
35. Covetous heart
Definition: A mindset focused heavily on wanting what other people own.
Used in a Sentence: Keeping a covetous heart only leads to unhappiness and worry. / She worked hard to replace her covetous heart with gratitude.
Similar Expressions: Envious mindset / Greedy spirit
36. Bitter rivalry
Definition: A competition fueled by mutual jealousy and a desire to win at all costs.
Used in a Sentence: The two soccer teams shared a bitter rivalry for the district trophy. / Their friendship turned into a bitter rivalry due to academic envy.
Similar Expressions: Envious competition / Hostile contest
37. Envious shadow
Definition: Feeling like your achievements are hidden behind someone else’s superior success.
Used in a Sentence: He felt tired of living in his older brother’s envious shadow. / Stepping out of an envious shadow lets your own talents shine.
Similar Expressions: Overshadowed / Envious eclipse
38. Poisoned view
Definition: Looking at the world with a distorted, jealous perspective.
Used in a Sentence: Jealousy gave him a poisoned view of everyone else’s hard work. / Clearing your mind helps fix a poisoned view of friendship.
Similar Expressions: Distorted outlook / Envious lens
39. Envious hunger
Definition: An insatiable, jealous craving for someone else’s lifestyle or items.
Used in a Sentence: He looked at the luxury cars with an envious hunger. / Cultivating contentment cures an envious hunger for material things.
Similar Expressions: Insatiable envy / Greedy craving
40. Covet the spotlight
Definition: Wanting to steal the fame and attention that rightfully belongs to someone else.
Used in a Sentence: It is unfair to try to covet the spotlight during your partner’s presentation. / He loved to covet the spotlight whenever possible.
Similar Expressions: Steal attention / Envy fame
41. Envious ache
Definition: A dull, emotional pain caused by wanting what you cannot have.
Used in a Sentence: Looking at the vacation photos caused an envious ache in her chest. / He shook off the envious ache and went back to studying.
Similar Expressions: Emotional pain of envy / Longing ache
42. Bitter pill
Definition: An unpleasant outcome that makes you feel envious of winners.
Used in a Sentence: Watching others get awards while you go home empty-handed is a bitter pill. / Accepting that you lost the race is a bitter pill.
Similar Expressions: Hard loss / Difficult truth
43. Covetous glance
Definition: A quick, jealous look directed at another person’s possessions.
Used in a Sentence: He threw a covetous glance at the pile of comic books. / She caught him casting a covetous glance at her new jacket.
Similar Expressions: Envious peek / Greedy look
44. Envious trap
Definition: A cycle of constant comparison and jealousy that ruins happiness.
Used in a Sentence: Comparing your life to online posts is an easy envious trap to fall into. / Escaping the envious trap brings instant mental peace.
Similar Expressions: Jealous cycle / Comparison trap
45. Dark green envy
Definition: A vivid description of deep, poisonous jealousy.
Used in a Sentence: He felt a flash of dark green envy when she won the science fair. / Dark green envy can destroy even the oldest friendships.
Similar Expressions: Deep jealousy / Toxic envy
46. Covet what is not yours
Definition: Desiring items or achievements belonging legally or earned by others.
Used in a Sentence: Learning to be happy with your own gear stops you from trying to covet what is not yours. / It is foolish to covet what is not yours.
Similar Expressions: Envy others / Want forbidden items
47. Envious murmur
Definition: Quiet, jealous complaining heard among peers after an announcement.
Used in a Sentence: An envious murmur rippled through the room when the winner was named. / The teacher hushed the envious murmur in the back row.
Similar Expressions: Jealous whisper / Envious grumble
48. Green cloud
Definition: A mental fog of jealousy that clouds your judgment.
Used in a Sentence: A green cloud of envy stopped him from congratulating his teammate. / Clear away the green cloud of jealousy and be happy for others.
Similar Expressions: Envious fog / Jealous haze
49. Covetous spirit
Definition: A personality prone to constant dissatisfaction and envy of others.
Used in a Sentence: A covetous spirit prevents people from enjoying their own blessings. / She worked hard to tame her covetous spirit.
Similar Expressions: Envious nature / Jealous soul
50. Envious glare
Definition: A hostile, jealous look fired at someone experiencing success.
Used in a Sentence: He could feel an envious glare from the back of the auditorium. / She turned around and met his envious glare with a kind smile.
Similar Expressions: Jealous stare / Hostile look
Exercise to Practice
- When he saw his friend’s brand new bicycle, he was green with envy.
- He always acts defensive because he walks around with a massive chip on his shoulder.
- Sticking your head in the sand will instantly make your overdue project disappear.
- Calling the winning team’s trophy ugly is pure sour grapes.
- Slapping together work carelessly always results in perfect trophies.
- He let the green-eyed monster take over when his friend bought a new game.
- Taping the window was a permanent and final solution that never needed replacement.
- Seeing everyone praise her painting made him burn with envy.
- Fixing the broken bicycle gear with a rubber band showed true improvisational wizardry.
- Comparing your life to online posts is an easy envious trap to fall into.
- Walking across the high wire without safety nets is a piece of cake.
- He felt an envious pang when his friend opened a new phone box.
- She started to stare daggers at the girl who won the lead singing part.
- A green cloud of envy stopped him from congratulating his teammate.
- Watching others get awards while you go home empty-handed is a bitter pill.
Answer Key
- True
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
- True
Conclusion
Learning these idioms helps you talk about feelings of envy and jealousy in clear, descriptive ways. Using varied vocabulary makes your English writing and speaking much more expressive.
Try practicing one or two new expressions the next time you discuss emotions with friends. Soon, using these fun phrases will become a wonderful habit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some common idioms for jealous?
Common idioms include phrases like green with envy, green-eyed monster, and sour grapes. These expressions help describe feelings of envy and resentment.
Why do we use idioms in English?
Idioms add color, emotion, and creativity to everyday speech and writing. They allow people to share cultural meanings in a quick and vivid way.
Can I use idioms about jealousy in stories?
Using jealousy idioms in creative writing helps build realistic characters and intense emotions. Choosing expressions that fit the scene keeps your narrative engaging.
How many idioms should I learn for everyday English?
Learning twenty to fifty versatile idioms is a great goal for most learners. Quality and correct usage matter much more than memorizing hundreds of them.
How can I practice using idioms correctly?
You can practice by writing character descriptions or short emotional paragraphs using a new idiom each day. Getting feedback from a teacher ensures you use them in the right context.
