What does ‘green with envy’ mean?
To “green with envy” means to extremely jealous. Brewer's traces the colour association to Shakespeare's Othello (III.iii): 'the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.'
Origin
- Brewer's traces the colour association to Shakespeare's Othello (III.iii): 'the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.'
How to use it
- Common in casual speech about jealousy.
- Example: When she got the promotion, he was green with envy.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.