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Prepositions after adjectives

Envious of, at, about, for or to?

Envious is most commonly followed by of. Other prepositions may appear in special sentence structures, but they are not the usual complement pattern.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows envious?

Use envious of to say that someone wants what another person has. Envious at, about, for, and to are generally uncommon or belong to different sentence structures rather than fixed patterns with envious.

She was envious of her colleague.
He felt envious of their success.
They became envious at the news of the promotion.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
envious of + person

Feeling jealousy toward someone

Use of before the person who has something desirable.

I am envious of my brother sometimes.
She grew envious of her neighbours.
2
envious of + thing

Wanting what someone else has

Use of before possessions, success, or qualities.

Many people are envious of his lifestyle.
They were envious of her confidence.
3
envious at + event

Referring to a reaction to a situation

At is rare after envious and usually refers to a reaction to a specific event.

She looked envious at the announcement.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
envious of
He is envious of her promotion.
Standard and idiomatic pattern.
envious at
She seemed envious at the attention he received.
Less common and tied to a specific reaction or moment.
envious about
The phrase envious about is generally unnatural.
Use envious of instead.
envious for
The phrase envious for is not standard.
Use happy for or envious of depending on meaning.
envious to
The phrase envious to is not idiomatic.
Use envious of.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using about instead of of

Envious normally takes of.

✕ She is envious about his salary. ✓ She is envious of his salary.

Using for after envious

For is not the standard complement after envious.

✕ They were envious for her success. ✓ They were envious of her success.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. He is envious ___ his friend's new car.
2. Which sentence sounds natural?
3. They looked envious ___ the praise she received.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the usual preposition after envious?

Of is the normal and standard choice.

Is envious about correct?

It is generally considered unnatural. Use envious of instead.

Can envious be followed by at?

Sometimes, especially when referring to a reaction to an event, but it is much less common than of.

eager-for-to-in-about, on "early in", "early on" or "early for"? earnest in, with, on, for or at? easy for, on, in, to or with? "economical with" or "economical in"? "ecstatic about" or "ecstatic with"? "effective in", "effective at" or "effective for"? "efficient in" or "efficient at"? elderly in, with, at, of or as? elegant in, with, of, as or to? eligible for, to, in or under? "embarrassed by" or "embarrassed about"?

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