envy of
10
4.6
- noun
:
objeto de envidia
- Her beautifully decorated home is the envy of all her friends.
- the envy of the world
- the envy of the industry
- the envy of the neighborhood
Examples
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You were the envy of the rest of the world!
Blog text (24) -
With it, you will feel comfortable, look trendy, and be the envy of everyone around you.
Blog text (15) -
There they are, the envy of Europe.
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We are going to be the envy of every man at the party tonight.
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I can make you the envy of every woman.
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Become the envy of your friends.
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In that case, I shall be the envy of every man here.
Fiction book (1994) -
We're creating a legacy that will be the envy of other schools.
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In college, she had long thick blond hair, the envy of all the other girls.
Fiction book (1995) -
Purchase some really good patio furniture sets, and you will be the envy of all your neighbors.
Blog text (30)
How Admired
Surface Forms
Morphology
envy + of
The noun 'envy' (resentful longing) combined with the preposition 'of' directly signals that someone or something is the target that others feel envy toward, so the phrase 'the envy of many' is compositional. This possessive/experiencer pattern is common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will generally be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase envy of shows a simple picture: one person has something others want, and those people feel envy when they look at it. So, saying 'the car is the envy of the neighbourhood' means the car is 'admired and wanted' by others.