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enviable

enviable

12 4.4
Likely to make other people feel jealous
  • adjective
  • /ˈɛnviəbl/
translation icon : envidiable
  • Living in a spacious house in the countryside is an enviable dream for many city dwellers.
  • an enviable position
  • an enviable record

They can portray a world and a life that is enviable and extraordinary.

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Examples

  • If no action is taken, it is unlikely that future generations will enjoy an enviable quality of life.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Such an attitude would be easier to understand in Canada or Norway, which have achieved enviable levels of human development.

    Academic text (2011)
  • We are in the rare and enviable position of having no bad documents.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Our guest today had an enviable life and an enviable childhood.

  • Some health services organizations find themselves in the enviable position of having a very positive financial picture.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Oh, I was just thinking that with you as his mother, he begins life with an enviable advantage.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You also are in the enviable position of having the ability to do a huge range of experiments.

  • But the Cardinals, in 2013, are in the enviable position of not being dependent on him.

    Blog text (34)
  • Gino, you have a very enviable reputation in the department and in the city.

  • Now, at the age of twenty-seven, Hannah found herself in the enviable position of never needing to work again.

    Fiction book (2001)

Synonyms

desirable
vsenviable
121 3.2

Worth having because many people want it

is seen as more worthy and likely to make others jealous
coveted
vsenviable
1 4.4

Wanted by many people because it is rare or special

is seen as worthy of admiration and often makes others jealous
covetable
vsenviable
1 6.1

Wanted by many people because it looks attractive or is valuable

is considered deserving of admiration and makes others feel jealous

Antonyms

undesirable
  • Offensive
8 6.0

A person who others do not want in a group because they behave badly

7.0

Not expected to win in a competition

How Desirable

coveted
1 4.4
enviable
12 4.4
desirable
121 3.2
acceptable
477 2.5
undesirable
31 4.6

Surface Forms

enviable positive

Morphology

enviable = envy (transparent) = envy + able

The adjective is clearly formed by adding the productive suffix '-able' to the noun 'envy' (y->i spelling change is regular).

Etymology

Enviable comes from the common word envy and the ending -able, where envy means 'wanting what someone else has' and -able means 'can be'. So, something enviable is 'able to be envied' and makes other people wish they had it.