envy someone's lifestyle

Meaning

To wish that you had the comfortable, exciting, or luxurious way of living that another person enjoys. It can carry a slightly negative tone of jealousy, or a milder, admiring tone of wishing for the same good fortune.

Examples

• It is easy to envy someone's lifestyle when you only see their highlights on social media.

  It is easy to envy someone's lifestyle when you only see their highlights on social media.

• She travels so much that many of her old classmates envy her lifestyle.

  She travels so much that many of her old classmates envy her lifestyle.

• Instead of envying someone's lifestyle, try to focus on improving your own.

  Instead of envying someone's lifestyle, try to focus on improving your own.

• He works long hours, so he has no reason to envy his brother's lifestyle.

  He works long hours, so he has no reason to envy his brother's lifestyle.

• I don't envy their lifestyle at all; they have no privacy and are always busy.

  I don't envy their lifestyle at all; they have no privacy and are always busy.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I am envy of her lifestyle.

  ✓ I envy her lifestyle.

  'Envy' is a verb or a noun. If you want to use the adjective with 'am', use 'envious' followed by 'of'.

• ✗ She envies about his lifestyle.

  ✓ She envies his lifestyle.

  The verb 'envy' is transitive and takes a direct object; do not use the preposition 'about'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• It is easy to look at social media and ___.

  💡 Wish you had their way of living.

  Show answer

  envy someone's lifestyle

• I don't ___ because I know how hard they actually work behind the scenes.

  💡 Wish I lived like them.

  Show answer

  envy their lifestyle