How to Say “Jealous” in Italian

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geloso
/d͡ʒeˈlo.zo/
The Italian word for jealous is geloso.
geloso is an adjective used to describe someone who is envious or feels resentful of another person's advantages, whether material or otherwise. While it can describe general envy, it is most commonly used to describe romantic jealousy. If you want to express the specific feeling of wanting something that someone else possesses, the word invidioso is more appropriate.
Meaning: envious, feeling resentful of someone for a perceived advantage, material or otherwise (adj)

Which one should you use?

While geloso can mean envious, it is often used in the context of romantic jealousy. In contrast, invidioso is the preferred term when describing the sensation of being envious of someone else's possessions or advantages.

How does it change in a sentence?

The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person or group being described. Use gelosa for a female singular subject, gelosi for a masculine plural or a mixed-gender group and gelose for a feminine plural group. When stating who or what a person is jealous of, use the preposition di after the adjective, as in geloso di.

How do you pronounce it?

/dʒeˈlo.zo/. The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.

When do people say it?

If you want to say someone is 'green with envy' in an informal way, you can use the idiomatic expression essere verde di invidia.

Did you know?

  • The term gelosia can also refer to a 'frame' or 'lattice' in certain technical or architectural contexts, unrelated to the emotion.
  • The word geloso comes from the Ancient Greek zêlos, which originally meant 'zeal' or 'enthusiasm' rather than resentment.
  • In Italian literature and opera, gelosia is often treated as a physical sickness or a poison that consumes the character from within.

Examples in context

  • È geloso di me?
    Are you jealous of me?
    This sentence is useful for asking if someone is jealous of the speaker using geloso.
    Tatoeba #5956653 by Guybrush88, translation #3911622 by CH
  • È geloso di Tom?
    Are you jealous of Tom?
    This sentence is useful for asking if someone is jealous of Tom using geloso.
    Tatoeba #2822323 by Guybrush88, translation #2821601 by CK
  • È un po' geloso.
    He's a bit jealous.
    This sentence is useful for describing someone as being a little bit jealous using geloso.
    Tatoeba #3102494 by Guybrush88, translation #1956206 by Spamster
  • Sono geloso della sua bellezza.
    I am jealous of her beauty.
  • Provavo invidia verso il suo successo.
    I felt jealous of his success.
  • Sono invidiosa della sua vacanza.
    I am jealous of her vacation.
  • Era verde di invidia quando ha visto il suo regalo.
    He was green with envy when he saw her gift.
  • 317 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Alessandro and Martina are talking about a colleague's new car.

  1. Alessandro

    Marco è molto geloso della nuova auto di Luca.
    Marco is very jealous of Luca's new car.
  2. Martina

    Sì, lo è sempre con i successi degli altri.
    Yes, he always is with other people's successes.
  3. Alessandro

    È un comportamento davvero fastidioso.
    It is a really annoying behavior.
  4. Martina

    Hai proprio ragione, Alessandro.
    You are absolutely right, Alessandro.

Sources

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Phoebe Cynthia
Phoebe CynthiaHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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