EN'VY, v.t. [L. invideo, in and video, to see against, that is, to look with enmity.]

1. Pain, uneasiness, mortification, or discontent excited by the sight of another's superiority or success, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed. Envy springs from pride, ambition or love, mortified that another has obtained what one has a strong desire to possess. Envy and admiration are the Scylla and Charybdis of authors. Pope. All human virtue, to its latest breath, / Finds envy never conquered, but by death. Pope. Emulation differs from envy, in not being accompanied with hatred and a desire to depress a more fortunate person. Envy, to which th' ignoble mind's a slave, / In emulation in the learn'd or brave. Pope. It is followed by of or to. They did this in envy of Cesar, or in envy to his genius. The former seems to be preferable.
2. Rivalry; competition. [Little used.] Dryden.
3. Malice; malignity. You turn the good we offer into envy. Shak.
4. Public odium; ill repute; invidiousness. To discharge the king of the envy of that opinion. Bacon.

1. To feel uneasiness, mortification or discontent, at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or happiness enjoyed by another: to repine at another's prosperity; to fret or grieve one's self at the real or supposed superiority of another, and to hate him on that account. Envy not thou the oppressor. Prov. iii. Whoever envies another, confesses his superiority. Rambler.
2. To grudge; to withhold maliciously. Dryden To envy at, used by authors formerly, is now obsolete. Who would envy at the prosperity of the wicked? Taylor.

1. Malice; ill will; spite.
   
   
   [Obs.]

   If he evade us there,
   Enforce him with his envy to the people. Shak.

2. To feel envy at or towards] to be envious of; to have a feeling of uneasiness or mortification in regard to (any one), arising from the sight of another's excellence or good fortune and a longing to possess it.
   
   

   A woman does not envy a man for his fighting courage, nor a man a woman for her beauty. Collier.

   Whoever envies another confesses his superiority. Rambler.

3. To be filled with envious feelings; to regard anything with grudging and longing eyes; -- used especially with at.
   
   

   Who would envy at the prosperity of the wicked? Jer. Taylor.

4. Chagrin, mortification, discontent, or uneasiness at the sight of another's excellence or good fortune, accompanied with some degree of hatred and a desire to possess equal advantages; malicious grudging; -- usually followed by of; as, they did this in envy of Cæsar.
   
   

   Envy is a repining at the prosperity or good of another, or anger and displeasure at any good of another which we want, or any advantage another hath above us. Ray.

   No bliss
   Enjoyed by us excites his envy more. Milton.

   Envy, to which the ignoble mind's a slave,
   Is emulation in the learned or brave. Pope.

5. To feel envy on account of; to have a feeling of grief or repining, with a longing to possess (some excellence or good fortune of another, or an equal good fortune, etc.); to look with grudging upon; to begrudge.
   
   

   I have seen thee fight,
   When I have envied thy behavior. Shak.

   Jeffrey . . . had actually envied his friends their cool mountain breezes. Froude.

6. To show malice or ill will; to rail.
   
   
   [Obs.] "He has . . . envied against the people." Shak.
7. Emulation; rivalry.
   
   
   [Obs.]

   Such as cleanliness and decency
   Prompt to a virtuous envy. Ford.

8. To long after; to desire strongly; to covet.
   
   

   Or climb his knee the envied kiss to share. T. Gray.

9. Public odium; ill repute.
   
   
   [Obs.]

   To lay the envy of the war upon Cicero. B. Jonson.

10. To do harm to; to injure; to disparage.
    
    
    [Obs.]

    If I make a lie
    To gain your love and envy my best mistress,
    Put me against a wall. J. Fletcher.

11. An object of envious notice or feeling.
    
    

    This constitution in former days used to be the envy of the world. Macaulay.

12. To hate.
    
    
    [Obs.] Marlowe.
13. To emulate.
    
    
    [Obs.] Spenser.